Longing
by Nikholas F. Toledo Zu
Summary: -Elf- Shoutaro looks beyond the frame of his mirror and decides that he doesn't like what he sees. 'Next time', he thought, promised, hoped, 'next time, she will smile for me again'. A side-story to 'Charm'.
1. Chapter 1

All the reader reviews for 'Charm' are much appreciated. I had a comment or two that got me to thinking and eventually prompted me to write this side story.

'Longing' is set within the time line of 'Charm' and will basically cover what happened to Shou.

The story already has a pre-determined ending as evidenced in 'Charm' but one cannot help but cheer for the underdog. ^_^;;

* * *

Longing

"You want to release this song in a single for December 25th?" The President of Akatoki Agency steepled his fingers and peered at him from the top of his spectacles. "I don't see any point in this when we're already marketing one for the 13th."

Shou had anticipated this initial resistance. He was just about to explain the merits of their proposal, when the new guy from marketing preempted him. "The president's absolutely right! Besides, it's too soon to bring out a new one. Why not milk the ratings for all it's worth?"

_'Ratings?'_ He ranted silently and found himself glaring at the rookie._ 'How dare that ass-kissing dork reduce my creativity into mere statistical number-crunching.'_

"He's already got two songs at FIRST place for two straight months." Shouko pointed out, "Unlike the first three, it's not included in next year's compilation due to the theme."

"We'll market it as a limited release that will run for 2 months, his fans will be queueing for it." Kaolin-san was practically rubbing his hands with glee. "I like it already!"

He looked at the man sitting across him with newfound respect. He never knew their promotional manager was capable of such deviousness - luckily, the guy was on their side.

"President, can't this one wait for few days more so we can launch it on January instead?" The ass-kissing dork even dared to flash a thumbs-up sign at him. "It's sure to be a chart-topper, Shou! No better way to ring in the New Year."

_'Oh, there is.'_ Shou seethed, _'It involves the temple bell and your skull.'_

"Gentlemen!" Shouko's next words crushed all arguments: "This single either gets released on the 25th or it doesn't gets released at all."

Everyone was rendered speechless. Shou realized just how far his manager would go with this. She did an amazing turnabout, considering that just an hour ago, she had been firing the very same questions at him.

"Why is it such a big deal to have this single out on December?" He was sprawled on the sofa, absently plucking at the guitar, when Shouko started on him.

"Why not? It's perfect for the season. You told me so when you first heard it."

"But we're already cutting it too close as it is!" she exclaimed in exasperation. "I just don't see the merit of releasing another song in the same month."

"This one's different. And it needs to be out on the 25th." He stopped playing and argued belligerently, "Look, I have no problem producing this myself, if that's what it takes to get it out there."

"Tell me, Shou." She asked in her no-nonsense tone: "How badly do you want this?"

"Bad enough to change agencies," he replied half-jokingly, placing the guitar on its stand. "And we both know I'm hot-commodity right now. The moment they hear I'm flying solo, record labels will be fighting over me!"

"I'm putting my neck out for you. The least you can do is to come clean with me here."

Shou sighed, "I made a promise." He might as well concede the battle to win the war. "She doesn't know it, but I owe her all this."

He need not elaborate - one look at her face told him that Shouko knew exactly who he meant.

Shouko smiled, "I'll see what I can do."

"Fine." The president merely huffed and finally conceded with a vague wave of his hand, "Call Asami-san and make an appointment for your PV."

"Thank you, sir!" Shouko beamed, her smile rivaling the lights adorning the Christmas tree in the lobby. "You won't be disappointed!"

"I'd better not be!" He muttered threateningly, then proceeded to end the morning's session with his usual closing remarks: "Ok, everyone, meeting's over. Grab yourselves some lunch and get back to work! You have a single to produce in less than a month's time."

People started shuffling out of the room, some started making arrangements for lunch outside, while others opted to hit the cafeteria downstairs for a quick bite.

"And Shou?" He stopped in his tracks and glanced back at the man sitting at the head of the long table.

"Yeah?"

"Consider this as your Christmas present."

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

"Since the release of his first single last October till the launch of his third song today, December 13th - Fuwa Shou has complete monopoly over the Oricon Top Singles chart!"

_'Have you seen me lately?'_

The man himself paused in front of a widescreen TV showing his songs' ratings for the past two months. A self-satisfied smirk flashed across his face as music critics and fans alike praised his latest achievement.

_'I hope you're watching, Kyouko.'_

Never mind that she does not know that he sings for her. His face on the screen and his voice on the radio would bring him to the forefront of her mind without fail. He finally understood that maniacal beagle's spiel about courting her hatred - it was not totally without merit after all.

Although her dislike for him was almost instinctive, compared to THAT guy, his existence still held monopoly over her heart.

He could work with that. It would have to be enough - for now.

_'Look at me. Only me.'  
_

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

It was her seventeenth birthday.

Surprisingly enough, the 25th had always been 'Kyouko's birthday' instead of 'Christmas' in his head.

He was halfway through his chestnut pudding before realizing that it was the first time that she would be celebrating it without him.

The spoon clattered against the plate, the pudding was suddenly cloyingly sweet against his tongue. Funny - for a moment there, he thought it had a bitter aftertaste.

He remembered her smiling beatifically at that gorge star when the bastard dropped her off at her place. The memory drove home a few salient points:

* He wanted her to continue smiling - the kind that lit her up features which never failed to coax a smile in response.

* His presence, however, was nothing for her to smile about (and was quite the opposite, in fact).

He had watched them from across the street, hand fisted over the gift inside his coat pocket.

_'I want to protect her smile.'_

The thought alone had defeated him and his purpose. A cab ride and a few minutes later, he was home again.

He decided to while the day away in front of the TV, lol-ing over sitcom reruns. He watched without seeing, laughed on cue and finished a pudding. He was halfway through his second cup, before realizing that he really missed her smile.

The first gift he had ever bought for her - a charm bracelet in its velvet-lined box - sat in silent mockery on his coffee table.

_'Next time',_ he thought, promised, hoped, _'next time, she will smile for me again.'_

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

He walked out of the store and into the cold.

The masses of humanity streamed past him, a few interested glances here and there, but the general public seemed to be oblivious to his presence in general.

Amazing what a cap and a pair of aviator glasses (his half-hearted attempt at anonymity) can do.

He noticed the couples walking by arm-in-arm, sharing more than body warmth, seemingly oblivious to the falling snow.

"Ne, 'Kane-chan. I want some kurigo pucchin purin!"

His hand tightened reflexively at the semi-transparent plastic bag that contained a week's supply of his favorite pudding.

"Sure, Ran-kun - we'll get one at that convenience store over there."

The light turned red. He stopped at the crossing, assailed by a decade-old memory of a girl who gave and gave and gave, a girl who never wanted anything for herself - not even a cup of chestnut pudding.

It was suddenly colder. He wound his scarf around his neck and inadvertently glanced at his watch. He was running late: better hurry or he would miss it. Otherwise, he seriously hoped that he managed to set the PVR to record before he fell into bed last night.

The light turned green. He started walking again, across the street and unto the crowded sidewalk. From the corner of his eye, he spied a vision of short reddish-blond hair, average height, slim build.

_'Kyouko?'  
_

He turned around and struggled against the on-coming crowd. He ran to her side, desperately reached out his hand and grabbed her sleeve.

"Kyouko!"

She turned around: wide-set eyes, straight nose and full lips - surprise painted across a pretty face.

But not hers.

"Oh," he jerked his hand back, as if burned. "Sorry, I mistook you for someone else."

"Hey, for you, handsome," she smiled, fake lashes aflutter, "I could be."

_'No.'_ His heart whispered, _'No, you cannot.'_


	2. Chapter 2

Skip Beat! is by Nakamura Yoshiki

Fuwa Shotarou was borrowed for the duration of this fanfic for entertainment purposes only (o. 0)v

* * *

The grand ballroom of the Prince Hotel erupted in a thunderous applause. All eyes followed the slight figure in gold chiffon as she made her way down the stage and back to her seat.

"That's her - it's Natsu from 'Box R'! I wouldn't have recognized her if they hadn't mentioned her name."

"Didn't she also play Mio in 'Dark Moon'?"

"She did. I watched her live interview in Kimagure Rock. She's like a totally different person from her drama roles."

"Kyouko-chan has definitely come a long way." Shouko's statement broke through his idle eavesdropping. "Last year, she won an award for her debut movie. This year, she bagged the Best Supporting Actress award for a TV drama. She's truly amazing."

"Of course," he replied, downplaying the surge of pride he felt for her. "How else could she possibly catch-up to me if she's not able to prove her worth as an actress?"

"Aren't you getting way ahead of yourself, Shou?" Asami sighed and merely shifted her eyes towards the LME table. "Your name didn't even make her 'Thank You' list."

"I've heard rumors, but I never knew she and Tsuruga Ren were THAT close." Shouko, who sat across him, peered around his shoulders to get a better view. "Everyone knows he never brings a date to this kind of function."

"Well, Kyouko-chan didn't bring a date, either," Asami pointed out, obviously enjoying his discomfort. "But they're obviously sharing more than a table at the moment."

Just his damn luck to be seated where he was: he had to turn around in his seat if he wanted to see what that bastard was doing with Kyouko - and THAT would've been a dead giveaway.

"To hell with this." Shou pushed away from the table, chair scraping against the floor. "I'm going out for some air."

He made towards the balcony, snagging a flute of champagne from a passing waiter on the way.

The brisk chill of the late February air was just what he needed to clear his head. Times like this, he wished he smoked - it would have had at least provided a much-needed distraction.

Kyouko had done well for herself in the short span of two years; he could even say he was truly happy about it. Asami-san's pointed comment grated at him. He never expected a thank-you, but a passing mention or any form of vague reference would have sufficed, appreciated even.

He downed half the champagne and scowled at the glittering cityscape below him.

It was most disconcerting when Kyouko started treating him with the casual indifference of a mere acquaintance whenever they met. His own agency advised him to stop dropping by Fuji TV without any prior appointment, since the gossip mill had started to take notice of his impromptu visits. Several blind item articles had been written about their infamous 'encounters' as well.

But something significant had changed in the past few months. It started with an interview where Kyouko was asked point-blank by a reporter, regarding her relationship with him. He was fully expecting her to go with the usual 'Nothing-special-just-a-childhood-friend' script - except that she didn't: Tsuruga Ren never gave her a chance. He answered in her stead, much to everyone's shock, including his, and completely eradicated any chance of further queries on Fuwa Shou's significance to the young actress's life.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know someone was here-"

He turned and was surprised to find amber eyes narrowed at him in icy recognition. "Oh. It was just you."

She was lovely on stage, but the widescreen monitors hardly did her justice. Kyouko, with her own brand of charisma, coupled with her barely-leashed disdain for him, was devastating up close.

"Hey, you could've done much worse." He smirked, eyeing the way the gold sheath draped over her slender curves appreciatively.

"I doubt it." The tone of her voice was cold enough to make icicles. Any other guy would have hightailed it out of there with some vague excuse of needing to be somewhere else - but Shou was definitely made of sterner stuff.

"Well, at least allow me to offer my congratulations." He lifted his drink in a mock toast: "To Kyouko the Actress."

She frowned, her hands fisting into the fabric of her long gown. "Stop patronizing me."

"Patronize you? Never." He sipped some champagne and flashed her a well-practiced slow-melting smile. "I'm actually flattered. Who would've thought that your vengeance towards me would get you this far?"

"You egoistic prick!" Kyouko charged at him, cheeks flushed and eyes ablaze with anger,."What makes you think I did it for you?"

"Am I not your 'prey'? Did you not say that YOU will be the one to make me feel defeat, despair and fear?"

"You heard THAT!?"

"Of course," he reminded her smugly, "I did save you from that beagle, after all. But the way you show your gratitude needs serious work."

"Eh?! You already said we were even - why are you bringing this up now?" She jutted her chin out and glared accusingly at him. "Besides, you're the reason that hell-hound started stalking me in the first place!"

"Hey, stop blaming me for everything!" He argued back, "It wasn't my fault that 'inu-yarou' was not quite right in the head."

She heaved a huge sigh and slumped back against the balcony railing. "This is getting old. We can't have a decent conversation without it degenerating into a verbal dog-fight in a matter of seconds."

"It wasn't always like this." He finished his drink and glanced at her profile. "Would it kill you to accept the fact that I'm happy over your success?"

"A year ago, I would've called you a lying asshole." The corner of her lips lifted in a fraction of a smile. "Tsuruga-san was right: it was pointless to waste my life over something as meaningless as revenge."

Whatever small bits of happiness Shou had went up in flames and tasted like ashes in his mouth. Pointless? Meaningless? Was that how she saw him?

_He was watching the cast interview for her latest series, where she was starring against Tsuruga Ren. The bastard was sitting a little too close to her, his shoulder would brush hers whenever he had to lean towards the mic. There was light-hearted teasing from everyone, since it was a romantic drama. Unfortunately, the light-hearted teasing set his teeth on edge. _

_Everything was going smoothly until one of the reporters dropped the bomb._

_"Last question for Kyouko. Rumor has it that you and Fuwa Shou have been seen together fairly frequently. Would you care to elaborate on what exactly is your relationship with Japan's favorite rock star?"_

_He snorted at the question as he peeled the plastic cover off his chestnut pudding and scooped out a creamy spoonful from the cup. _

_This was nothing new. They both have their own ready answers for such probing queries. There were times he was sorely tempted to just spill everything - but, then, Kyoukowould probably kill him. Dying was not an option, since that would mean Tsuruga would win her by default._

_"Nothing special. He's just - "_

_"- happened to be working in the same TV station," Tsuruga Ren cut in smoothly, flashing his famous smile to soften the blow. "I heard he's currently filming his latest PV. Unfortunately, it's inevitable for them to walk into each other."_

_His spoonful of pudding ended up as a gooey lump on the coffee table as he stared open-mouthed at the television. _

_The entire audience was still reeling in shock when the reporter launched the second volley: "Tsuruga-san, are you bothered by all this talk going around between Fuwa Shou and your kouhai?"_

_"Not really," the bastard reached for Kyouko's hand, gazing at her with such intensity that had her blushing furiously and Shou clenching his teeth. "I know exactly where I stand with her."_

"Tsuruga-all-looks-no-brain-Ren actually came up with something as profound as that?" He made a show of placing the empty glass on the ledge beside her, only to grasp the railing on either side, effectively caging her with his arms against the balcony, as he sneered mockingly. "If he's so damn smart, then why would he settle for someone like you when he could've had any glamorous woman he want?"

Kyouko was his, dammit! Tsuruga shouldn't even be looking at her in the first place. There was no way he was handing her over to that bastard without a fight - even if it meant that he had to fight dirty to keep her.

"I don't know." Her gaze shifted away from his and focused inward. "I asked myself the same thing when he confessed to me half an hour ago."

His thoughts tripped over themselves trying to make sense of what she just said. The closest he could manage resembling anything coherent was: "WHAT?!"

"I find it incomprehensible as well." She continued, oblivious to his outburst, "I can't even make my own mother happy enough for her to love me."

Shou couldn't even engage his brain to process the thoughts before the words tumbled out, "It was never your fault. It's her loss."

"So, are you saying that you were at fault, too?" She let out a short derisive laugh and met his gaze. "I devoted half my life to you, and the most I could amount to was a maid."

He flinched and took a step back as if she had physically struck him.

"Shou, I already forgave you for what happened two years ago." She explained earnestly, completely oblivious to the pain she was inflicting with her kind words, "It was stupid and selfish of me to force my affections on you and get angry when you failed to return my feelings."

Something inside his chest twisted as the words lodged in his throat. Getting no response, she started to turn her back on him. "I've said enough. I better head back."

"Wait!" He snagged her wrist, desperation forcing the words out, "Don't go."

He needed her to understand. He could not afford to have her mistaking his intentions for anything else.

"Shou!? What are you doing?"

"You told me to quit being a coward." Cradling her face in one hand, his fingers drank in the softness of her skin as they grazed her cheek. "I'm just following your well-meaning advice last Christmas."

He leaned in until he was close enough to smell the rosy fragrance of her perfume, feel the heat of her body through her clothes, and see the dewy sheen of her lip gloss.

"Shoutarou. Don't." She warned him in her most logical sounding tone, "If you do this, you'll be destroying whatever little there is left of our friendship."

He had always thought that she was the one who understood him best. But she has yet to realize just how much he was willing to risk to get her back.

"Kyouko," with his lips a hair's breath away from hers, he finally whispered, "I'm through being your friend."


	3. Chapter 3

Skip Beat! is by Nakamura Yoshiki

Bump of Chicken's** Fly By** lyrics translated By: Brian Stewart & Takako Sakuma as lifted from utau-inu blog site.

ワタシハドンナニ離レテモイツダッテ僕ノ周回軌道上

_No matter how far away I get, I'm always in my orbit._

アナタハドンナニ離レテモイツダッテ君ノ周回軌道上

_No matter how far away you get, you're always in your orbit._

Shou woke up to the incessant ringing of his cellphone to the tune of his latest single. His hand reached over the bedside table, accidentally knocking the alarm clock to the floor before he finally got to his phone. He flicked the top open - effectively cutting the song off in mid-stanza - as he brought it to his ear.

"Did someone die?" he asked wearily, without preamble, eyes still closed as he tried to wade through his muddled thoughts. "Why are you calling this early? If my memory serves me right, we have nothing scheduled in the morning for the entire week."

"This is your wake-up call. Change of plans: you have an hour to get ready before I get to your place."

Someone messed up his schedule - again. It was the third time this month. There was just no winning against it. Shou simply rolled into his pillow and screamed in muffled rage at the unfairness of it all.

"Sorry for the short notice, but your Tuesday afternoon recording got re-scheduled to 10 a.m. at Fuji TV today."

Somehow, she did not sound the least bit apologetic at all. Anxious, yes - but sorry, no. He simply wrote it off as a case of caffeine induced perkiness on his manager's part. He could hardly blame her when he could definitely use a couple of cups himself. Since his alarm clock had not gone off yet, he figured it would be roughly around 8:30 in the morning.

"It's fine," he muttered as he rolled onto his back. "No need for you to pick me up. I'll just take my bike and go straight there."

"You sure?"

"Yes," he replied testily, "I'm not a kid anymore."

There was a pause at the end of the line before he heard his manager chuckle good-naturedly. "Got it. See you at the station, Shou."

He ended the call and finally opened his eyes to glare at the ceiling.

_"It was stupid and selfish of me to force my affections on you and get angry when you failed to return my feelings."_

Her words haunted his every waking moment for the past three days. Instead of him feeling relieved, it made him wary of her forgiveness. It felt as if she was closing that chapter of her life and he was nothing more than some loose end to be neatly tied up for the sake of closure. Forgive and forget: how truly magnanimous of her.

He never hated her so much as that moment. He never loved her so much as that very same moment.

So he kissed her.

Or at least tried to kiss her - and it turned out to be a complete disaster. Typical: this was Kyouko, after all.

Shou started to yawn when he felt a sharp pain on his jaw midway. He lifted a hand to his bruised cheek and winced. A quick check at the reflective surface of his cellphone confirmed his suspicions - the skin was still tender but the blue-gray patch had started to fade to a dull yellow. His eyes clouded over in remembrance of how she looked after she hit him and the stilted apology that followed.

No. He refused to feel even a smidgen of guilt for what he did. Besides, it was pointless and stupid to start regretting something that could not be changed. If the last two years taught him anything about Kyouko Mogami, it was the fact that she could never truly hate anyone - not even him. She always found a way to excuse others for their failings by making them her own...

... just like what she did for the mother who abandoned her... just like what she did for him...

... then she would just chalk everything else up to fate, and get on with her life.

Kyouko left him with forgiveness, but she also effectively cheated him out of any chance to prove himself worthy of her.

A quick glance towards the floor at his fallen alarm clock gave him incentive to brush aside that thought. It would be a crappy way to start the week if he stewed over this any longer than he already had. Fuwa Shou tossed the covers aside and finally mustered enough willpower to crawl into the shower.

Five blocks away, in a busy traffic intersection in downtown Tokyo, Asami Haruki was sitting on the passenger seat of her friend's car with a wry grin on her face. "I cannot believe he just bought that."

"Whatever works." Shouko winced as she put her phone away and met Haruki's gaze. "It was bad enough that I had to get Ogawa-san's help to keep Tsuruga Ren and Shou from meeting each other in the same building."

"Impossible," Asami declared with absolute certainty. "Not with Kyoko-chan in the vicinity."

Shouko gave a dejected whimper and rested her head against the steering wheel. "I wish you hadn't said that, Haruki-chan."

応答願ウ

_Please respond._

心ノ裏側ヲグルリト回リ戻ッテキタ

_Been all the way around your heart and back again_

_flyby _距離ハソノママデモ確カニスグ側ニ居タ

_Flyby, Even if we never get closer than we are now, we were always right there next to one another._

Aside from his manager, hers was the only other number he had on speed dial.

He didn't have a need to call her - half the time, he usually ended hanging up after the fifth ring, anyway. It aggravated him to no end that she never bothered to activate her voice mail, when she was apparently too busy to answer her calls. This time, he had a viable reason NOT to contact her. After that disastrous incident, he figured he needed to give her some time and space to cool down. His resolve, however, lasted no more than five days, six hours and some odd minutes.

Friday night's live interview taping at TBM ended earlier than anyone expected, much to the rock star's relief. The moment he got out of the studio, Shou made quick work of finding a deserted hallway, whipped out his phone and pressed '2'. He anxiously counted the number of rings before-

"The number you dialed is currently engaged in another call."

He grunted in grim annoyance and tried calling again... and again... and again... Hell, anyone else would have at least put their current call on hold to check who the other caller was - but not her.

"Hello, this is Kyouko-"

"Finally!" Shou berated her in exasperation, "Do you know how many times I called?"

"-I'm not able to take your call at the moment. Please leave a message, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

"Argh! Dammit!" So much for complaining about her voicemail.

The beep sounded. He took a deep calming breath and forged ahead.

"Kyouko, we need to talk: the sooner the better. I can pick you up after your taping at Fuji TV... then, um..." He scrabbled frantically at what to do when his stomach grumbled. Dinner! Yes! "We can talk over dinner - anything you want, anywhere you want - I'm buying... argh, this is so uncool. Look, I'm NOT going to apologize for what happened. But I need you to hear me out-"

He was forced to stop in mid-sentence as he was solidly jostled from the side. "Hey! Watch where you're-"

"Sorry," the taller man offered a quick apology, then did a double take. "Fuwa?"

Shou's jaw went slack even as the man gave his phone a pointed look. He glared back, cursing soundly in his head. Of all the people within the TV station, he had to run into HIM?

"Thanks, Tsuru- I mean, Ren-san. I finally got my voicemail to work!"

As near as he was, he easily heard and immediately recognized the voice coming from Tsuruga's phone.

"Ren-san, um... are you still there?"

"I'm here," the actor reassuringly replied. "Wasn't looking at where I was going and almost walked into someone."

Tsuruga Ren strode past him with nothing more than a curt nod, coupled with that blindingly brilliant (hateful) fake smile.

Shou was livid. No wonder he was not able to get through to Kyouko - the damn gorge star was blocking his calls!

"Hey!" he shouted at the actor's retreating back. "Mind finishing your call soon? You've been yakking at Kyouko for a quarter of an hour already."

The man slowed to a full stop just a few meters away from the corner of the hallway.

"Sorry, looks like I have to cut this call short." Tsuruga's genial apology was totally at odds with the venomous glance he threw over his shoulder at Shou. "Try to get some sleep on the plane. Have a safe flight, Kyouko. I'll see you in a week's time."

He had no sooner registered the implications of those words than he suddenly found himself stalking after the two-faced bastard. "She's going out of the country, isn't she? Where is she headed?" Shou demanded, clutching at the man's sleeve.

"If Kyouko didn't bother to tell you herself, then I believe that's none of your business," Tsuruga wearily informed him, shaking off his hold with nothing more than a sharp jerk of his arm.

"Fine. I'll just ask her myself," he snapped back, opening his phone with a practiced flick of his wrist, jabbing at the much-abused keypad. His foot tapped against the marble floor as he waited impatiently for his call to connect.

"The number you dialed is unavailable. Please try and call again later."

He closed his phone with a snap and fought down the urge to hurl it at the wall in frustration.

Tsuruga merely shrugged his shoulders. "She probably has her phone turned off for take-off."

The bastard was starting to get on his last nerve. The man could easily make him feel like an outsider with nothing more than a few choice words. The three measly years she had worked with Tsuruga was nothing compared to a decade she devoted to him. That fact did little to lessen his aggravation - if anything, it pushed him to retaliate, hit back and even-up the score.

"You know, confessing to her doesn't give you the liberty of using her first name," he smugly pointed out. A calculated move on his part to show the bastard that he was still privy to Kyouko's life.

"No, it doesn't." Tsuruga readily agreed, only to add quietly, "But her reply did."

The words hit him like a slash across the gut, swift and lethal. His first reaction was to call the man's bluff but immediately decided against it. Tsuruga was more likely to use the truth rather than lies. Why bother with an elaborate fabrication when the truth itself was more than enough to deal the fatal blow?

"Congratulations," he offered, teeth bared in a mockery of a smile. Nothing like false bravado to hide the desperation and staunch the emotional bleeding. He carefully gathered the tattered remains of his resolve and stood directly in front of Tsuruga Ren, meeting his challenge head-on. "But I have to warn you though, this doesn't change anything."

"Doesn't it?" Tsuruga tilted his head, the shadows spilling across the his sharp features gave him a dark and almost sinister look. "Now that Kyouko has finally moved on, where does that leave you?"

"She loved me first," he declared, brandishing his own truth like a weapon. "Just watch me. I will NOT lose her to anyone... not even you."

Shou brusquely shouldered past the two-faced bastard, his determination fueled by the slow-burning anger that simmered just beneath the surface. He just about reached the corner when Tsuruga's whispered words caught up with him:

"You cannot lose what you never realized you had in the first place, Fuwa-san."

バイバイ忘レテモ構ワナイ忘レナイカラ

_ByeBye. I don't mind if you forget me, because I never will forget you_

応答願ウズット応答願ウ

_please respond, I am always asking for your response._

教エテモラエタ声ヲ乗セテメロディーヲ送ル

_I input all the voices I learned from you, and send them out as a melody._

Shou checked his phone and sighed. No call, no voicemail, not even a single text message from her.

He chucked his phone at the far end of the sofa and leaned back against the cushions to stare out at the Tokyo skyline. He was supposed to work on some lyrics tonight, but the words refused to flow. All he could think about was the feeling of disconnect over the yawning distance that was suddenly between them.

He picked up his guitar, tucked it under his arm and started strumming.

Tsuruga was the least of his problems at the moment. It was Kyouko herself who was proving to be quite troublesome. All his efforts to elicit a response from her had been met with futility - at an emotional standpoint he might as well be in another galaxy instead of just sitting on the opposite side of the world.

The strumming stopped.

He immediately reached for his music sheets, inking down words and notating chords, making inspiration tangible on paper. He finished the entire thing in half an hour - the least time he ever spent on composing a song. No other instrumentation was needed other than his acoustic guitar.

Shou eagerly dialed her number and tried to shoot for the moon.

〇月日

_O Months, X Days_

本日モ通信試ミルガ応答ハ無シ

_Today, I again tried to communicate but no response._

アナタハドンナニ離レテモ君ノ心ノ周回軌道上

_No matter how far away you get, you are in orbit around your own heart._

Kyouko checked her phone and sighed. She had already accumulated an innumerable number of missed calls, a half-full inbox and five voicemail messages all in the short span of thirty-six hours after her phone had been re-activated.

The next hour and a half was spent returning calls and responding to messages from friends and colleagues, setting their mind at ease that she was well and safe in this foreign land. She was deeply touched by their concern and considered herself to be truly blessed with such people in her life.

All except one.

Kyouko replayed the first voicemail she received and was at a complete loss on how to respond to the truncated message. The missed calls from that unknown number were probably his as well.

Her phone tittered, alerting her to a new voicemail. She automatically pressed the requisite numbers and waited for the message to play out. It was not so much as the content as the way it was delivered.

Time stopped for an entirety of three minutes.

It was only after the last chord faded to silence did she realize that the length for an incoming message is just enough to record one song.


	4. Chapter 4

Skip Beat! is by Nakamura Yoshiki

Fuwa Shotarou was made to suffer for the duration of this fanfic for entertainment purposes only (o. 0)v

* * *

His days passed in a dizzying blur of radio interviews, guest spots, CM tapings and album recordings.

The busier he was, the less time he had to bother with trivial gossip shows that featured Tsuruga Ren's visit to the US. It drove home a fact of which he was all too aware: Kyoko was there with him - somewhere half-way around the world - completely out of his reach. The local media had yet to get wind of their relationship, and not because it was from lack of trying. He guessed Tsuruga had been extremely careful keeping everything under wraps.

"Wake up, Shou. It's almost time for your recording session."

He heard the click of stiletto against the floor and vaguely surmised that Shouko-san finally found him. After a few heartbeats, the comforting blackness gave way to an orange brightness that silently battered against his closed eyelids. He blindly reached out for the towel that used to cover his face only to feel a pinch on his hand.

"Hey! That hurts!" he protested, squinting against the light to see Shouko-san with a frown of her own, holding the towel out of his reach.

"Didn't you get enough sleep last night?"

He groaned as he groggily got up from the assortment of chairs that served as his makeshift bed. "Not nearly enough."

There were days he simply fell into bed out of sheer exhaustion, only to wake up the next morning feeling like death warmed over. It didn't make any difference if it was five or a full eight hours of sleep - he still felt like crap. This was proving to be one of those days.

They silently made their way down the hall and were lucky enough to get an elevator to themselves.

"Are you alright?" she finally asked, handing him a wet towelette to wipe away the last traces of sleep from his face.

"Huh?" He looked up to meet her eyes on the mirrored doors of the elevator. "Why? What made you ask?"

"You've been kinda 'off' lately," she said, peering at his face as she tried to find the right words. "You're physically here, but it feels like you'd rather be somewhere else."

The sound of the opening doors saved him from answering, but that did not stop him from thinking about it. What she said was unsettlingly close to the truth.

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

"Again!" Shou ripped off his headphones and shouted at the bassist. "Dammit, you're still a half a beat off when you start playing the bridge!"

"Cool it, dude." The guy held up his hands in a placating gesture. "It's only been the third time I'm playing it after you revised the arrangement!"

"If this is the third time, then you should've gotten it right, already!" he spat back, his patience wearing dangerously thin. "And where the hell is Taira anyway?"

"He's on tour right now with The Pillows," Asami-san replied from the recording booth. "They'll be in the in the U.S. for another week."

Shou growled, "How is it that my only decent bassist is touring abroad and I'm stuck here with mister second rate?"

Nothing had gone right since they started recording the last two songs for his album. They had been at it for an hour already, after some slight editing done on the second stanza of the first song. The niggling headache he'd been nursing since morning was threatening to turn into a full-blown migraine.

Shou realized that he was spoiling for a fight. The worry and frustration that built up in the past two months needed an outlet, and he didn't care if it was over something as stupid as this. The bassist opened his mouth to retaliate and he was more than ready to jump down the guy's throat.

"Let's take a break, guys," Asami-san announced over the intercom, effectively dissipating the tension. "We'll start recording again after fifteen minutes."

Shou, deprived of his prey, marched out of the studio, the door slamming in his wake.

Haruki and Shouko exchanged knowing looks before Shouko heaved a sigh and went after her irascible ward.

She did not have to go very far. He was standing in front of the landscape windows, overlooking the huge video screens on the facade of the building just across the street. She was about to call him when she noticed exactly whose face it was, playing on the screen. She watched as Shou slowly made his way over to the windows, reaching out his hand, only to touch glass.

_'Come back soon, Kyouko-chan,' _Shouko silently pleaded with the girl whose smile seemed impervious to the longing of one young man. _'It's almost painful to see him like this.'_

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

It was not so much as seeing Kyouko as his reaction to seeing her that gave him a shock. Was he really that far gone that her commercial could reduce him to a nostalgic simpleton? He immediately pushed away from the windows, scowling at the thought. He seriously needed to get a grip on his emotions, lest he start embarrassing himself.

All this introspection was making him thirsty - worse yet, his throat hurt. He pivoted around, looking for a nearby vending machine and managed to find one just a few meters down the hall. He had been feeling a tad narcoleptic the entire afternoon, which usually meant he badly needed the caffeine. He deliberated over his choice of coffee: latte, cappuccino or decaf. He snorted in disgust at the third option. People who buy from vending machines that sell coffee at eighty yen a cup ought to get their caffeine's worth.

He finally settled on a cappuccino and started dropping coins only to find he was ten yen short. A quick survey of his pockets turned up his cellphone, keys, gum wrapper and lint - but no spare change.

"What is the music industry coming to if a big rock star like you can't even afford to buy a drink?" A feminine hand deftly dropped a ten yen coin and pushed the button for tea instead.

"What if I wanted a latte or a cappuccino or (god-forbid) a decaf instead?" He turned around to complain, only to be faced with a pair of sharp eyes glowering at him from behind designer-frame lenses.

"Beggars can't be choosers, Shou," Asami-san scolded. "Besides, I heard you coughing twice during the session, and it didn't sound good at all. Drink the tea - it's ginger. It'll help soothe your throat."

The machine finished churning out his eighty yen drink. He took the cup from the dispenser, vaguely noticing the digital voice recording reminding him to be careful of the hot beverage.

"Thanks," he muttered, lifting the cup in a half-salute and blowing off the steam before taking a tentative sip.

"Good," she nodded, seemingly mollified. "Now, I'll just tell everyone that we'll continue this recording for next week instead."

"What?" Shou fairly sputtered into his drink as he reached out and stopped her from completing the call. "Why the hell are you doing that?"

"You're not feeling well," she said, looking slightly irritated at being forced to state the obvious.

"I could still finish this part," he argued, fairly annoyed that he had to bargain with his producer to get work done. "We could record the background music today, at least."

"After that spat with the stand-in bassist, things aren't likely going to be smooth sailing," she advised as she got a cup of cappuccino for herself from the same vending machine. "We're better off waiting for Taira to arrive."

"You're right," Shou finally conceded, taking a long drink of his tea. "Send the band home, then."

She simply nodded her head and began to savor her steaming cup of caffeine.

"We don't need them," Shou continued, " I figured we could just do a voice recording for that song we finished the instrumentation last week."

This time, it was her turn to sputter in her drink and ended up burning her tongue in the process.

"Don't be an idiot," Asami-san grated at him after finally getting over her fit, "With your throat irritated like that, I wouldn't even want you near a microphone."

He was about to protest when her phone started to ring. She gave the caller ID a quick glance and excused herself before turning away to taking the call.

"Thanks for returning my voice mail... So, what do you think of the storyboard?" he heard her ask over the phone as she placed her coffee on the window ledge - it sounded like a discussion for his latest PV. She smiled, obviously happy with the other person's reply. "Great! I'll just have the rest of the paperwork delivered over, then."

Shou continued to drink his tea; it was slightly painful to swallow but the warmth was somewhat soothing. It did wonders for his sore throat, not to mention his disposition. He guessed Asami-san was right, after all.

"Tonight?"

Her sharp tone had him looking up only to find her staring at him. He raised an eyebrow in silent inquiry only to have her turn away. Weird.

"No! I mean, tonight is fine," she replied hastily. "I'm at Fuji TV at the moment. It'll just take another half an hour to wrap up the recording session. I'll see you, then."

By the time he finished his drink, Asami-san was done with her call, as well. He picked up her coffee cup from the ledge and handed it to her. "Guess you're cutting my recording short for a hot date."

"I'm meeting up with the director for your next PV." She did not even bother to deny it, but gave him a lopsided smile, instead. "And, if we're lucky, we just might get your co-star to sign-up as well."

He sidled up to her, placing his arm over her shoulders, "Bring me along and I'll cinch the deal for you. She couldn't possibly say no to my charms!"

"No offense, Shou. But I think my chances are better without you there." She shrugged off his arm and slapped a hand over his forehead, a frown wrinkling her smooth brow. "I'd rather you go home and get some much-needed rest."

"I'm perfectly fine." Shou straightened up and crossed his arms over his chest. "How come nobody believes me whenever I say that?"

Asami-san groused, "She was right. You could really be a stubborn brat sometimes."

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

One radio interview and two TV spots later, Shou was more than eager for the day to end.

He was tired and irritable, not to mention that his cold was getting worse. All he wanted to do at this point was to crash in Shouko's car and have her drive him home. Good thing Asami-san already got Shouko to clear all his appointments for tomorrow.

"Shouko-san, you know anything about Asami's hot date tonight?"

"Hot date?" Shouko got out her car keys and unlocked the doors. "You mean Kurosaki-san agreed to work on your PV?"

"Kurosaki?" He racked his brain for the name as he threw his helmet at the back of the car and settled on the passenger seat. "Hey, wasn't he the director of that Kyurara commercial?"

"He also directed Kyouko's latest CM." She rolled her eyes at his blank look and pointed out. "The one that you were watching earlier."

His mind went over his earlier conversation with Asami, and realization hit him like a ton of bricks. "Any bets on where they'll be having dinner?"

"I think I heard her mention Nikko Hotel," Shouko absently replied as she started the engine.

"Got it." Shou unbuckled his seatbelt and reached over the backseat for his helmet. He was already out of the car and striding over to the next parking space before Shouko registered what just happened.

"Shou! You can't be thinking of gatecrashing their meeting!" Shouko sounded scandalized.

"You know what they say about three being a crowd." Shou smirked from behind the visor of his helmet as he straddled his Ducati and revved up the motor. "I'm just going there to even up the count."

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

She looked out the restaurant window to watch the Rainbow Bridge change in color from red to white to green and back again. The lights reflected on the water were nothing short of mesmerizing. The rain had dwindled to a light drizzle, casting a hazy glow over the beautiful nighttime cityscape.

"Ah, desserts. Finally!"

She turned from the scenery to see Kurosaki-sensei rubbing his hands together with delight as the waiter set down their orders. Asami-san paid her sherbet little-to-no attention, finding Kurosaki-sensei's plate to be more worthy of interest. Apparently, she wasn't the only one who noticed.

"Go on, Haruki," he said smugly, pushing his plate across the table well within Asami-san's reach. "You know you want to."

"You evil man - you shouldn't be tempting a woman on a diet," she chastised, but that did not stop her from eyeing the chocolate confection with barely concealed longing.

He rolled his eyes and grabbed his fork, slicing off the tip and offered it her. "Screw the diet - you can afford a few calories."

Asami-san had no choice but to eat the chocolatey morsel, lest it end up as a gooey lump on the pristine tablecloth. "Ohhh, Gods! I haven't had anything as sinful as this in, like, forever!" the woman declared, fairly humming with satisfaction.

She swallowed her grin along with a forkful of pecan pie as she watched Kurosaki-sensei look away from Asami-san, face flushed with embarrassment... and something else.

"So, Mogami-san," he turned to her with a smile that bordered on desperation. "What do you think of the narrative I sent you?"

"It was fairly interesting. Is it for a new commercial?" she asked.

"Something better than that," Asami-san supplied, carefully resting the fork tines against the edge of the plate. "Kurosaki is going to be directing Shou's new PV."

"Only if I get to choose who plays the lead female," he interjected, poking at the forgotten sherbet. "You interested?"

Kyouko's worst fears had finally came to fruition. Kurosaki-sensei called her up at LME and requested for a dinner meeting to discuss a new job offer - he obviously left out the little fact that Asami-san was joining them, as well. Dinner came and went without much incident, the scrumptious food lulling her into a false sense of security. There was indeed no such thing as as free lunch, or in her case, dinner. The thing was, she could have gotten away if she was smart enough to forgo dessert. Failing that, she took a bite of her pie and bought time to think of the best way to turn down Kurosaki-sensei's offer. Two years in the industry taught Kyouko the value of thinking first before opening her mouth - especially when it concerned Shoutaro.

"Sensei, I'm really flattered that you would choose me for this role," she started, fiddling with the linen napkin on her lap. "However, it would be-"

"-a pleasure to work with you again, Kyouko."

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

It was such a shock to see her after three long months. He thought he was dreaming at the sight of her long dark hair. It was like seeing Kyouko from two years back.

He reached out to capture a stray lock of hair, rubbing the smooth strands between his cold fingers.

She was eyeing him like something the cat dragged in from the rain.

"I haven't agreed to anything yet, Shou," Kyouko countered, dislodging her hair from his grasp with a flick of her wrist.

He saw the Yakuza-dude discreetly signal the waiter for another chair before extending his greeting to the latecomer, "So nice of you to join us. We were just having dessert. Do sit down."

"Thanks," Shou replied, trying not to wince at the squishing sound from his boots as he sat down. "I'll have coffee. Make it black."

"Weren't you supposed to be at home?" Asami-san fairly growled at him, her eyes taking in his drenched state. "What are you doing here?"

"Just making sure that Kyouko takes part in this PV." He shrugged before extending his hand to the other male in the group to introduce himself, "Fuwa Shou. I'm honored to be finally working with you, Kurosaki-sensei."

"Are you, really?" The older man grasped his hand and returned the handshake. "I'll only work on your PV if she agrees to do it."

"Eeehhh?" Kyouko gawped at the man before she finally managed a token protest, "That's crazy! You can't do that, Sensei!"

"I believe I just did." Kurosaki smirked, spooning the last icy dollop of sherbet from the glass and swallowed it with much relish. "Besides, you don't have to make a decision tonight."

Shou could barely follow the conversation - at some point in time, his brain simply gave up and everything was just white noise. He looked down and belatedly realized the steaming cup of coffee in front of him. He had been craving for a cup the whole day, and here was one cooling away right in front of him. He lifted the cup and took a tentative sip - it was still hot. He badly needed the caffeine to keep his wits about him, if he ever dared to hope of convincing Kyouko to... to... to what? He blinked and drank more coffee, urging the caffeine to kick in and remind him of what it was exactly he needed to convince Kyouko to do.

"I suggest you sleep over it, Kyouko-chan," Asami-san suggested, finishing the last bit of Kurosaki's chocolate cake.

"Sleep. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," Shou muttered to himself and promptly toppled over to the floor.


	5. Chapter 5

Skip Beat! is by Nakamura Yoshiki

This one took quite a while. Had to keep the two from killing each other while I was writing this chapter. I'm actually quite happy with the way it turned out. (^.^)v

* * *

It was raining again. Huge fat drops spattered against the car window, distorting the world beyond the tinted plexiglass. They were stuck in the middle of Friday-night Tokyo traffic, made worse by the intermittent, torrential downpour.

She felt, rather than heard, the other backseat occupant groan and shift restlessly beside her. The movement dislodged the cold pack from its precarious perch and landed in her lap. She sighed, a sound of tried patience mingled with annoyance, as she picked up the cold pack and slapped it back on the idiot's forehead.

'Baka-Shou,' Kyouko thought, watching the lights shift and play along his face as he slept, completely oblivious to the world around him.

His brows furrowed in a slight flown, as if struggling with some unnamed discomfort in his sleep. Her hand started to massage his temples, fingers deftly pressing at the points on his scalp, running down to the base of his skull, where her thumb would coax the tight muscles of his neck to relax.

She had known him for more than half her life - imagined herself in love with him for most of it, too: loved him enough to build her world around him and inevitably lost her sense of self in the process. Contrary to what others might have thought, she was well aware of Shou's faults: he was ambitious, a tad arrogant, egotistic and extremely selfish. It was part and parcel of being the heir and only child: what he wanted, he usually got. Unfortunately, he wanted no part of the family business and decided to seek his fortune somewhere else.

Kyouko had been beside herself with happiness when he asked her to go with him to Tokyo. She never gave much thought to what she was giving up by going with him. Not once did she think that he was doing it only for his own convenience. He had never given her promises of happily-ever-afters. He didn't need to - she loved him and it never occurred to her to even ask.

"Shou's place is the nearest." Asami-san's voice broke through her thoughts, causing her to jerk back her hand as if burned. "Is it okay if we drop him off first, Kyouko-chan?"

"Sure," she replied amicably enough, mustering a smile as she fisted her hand at her side. She scowled down at the idiot, who was now sleeping peacefully, with his head resting on her lap. Better to just get it done and over with so that she could get on with the rest of her evening - and her life.

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

Room 315.

Kyouko stared at the plaque and allowed herself a moment of suspended disbelief. This was proof that bored deities have a tendency to pick on hapless mortals just for the heck of it.

"Come on in," Asami-san called out to her as she held the door open for Kurosaki-sensei, who was half-dragging the fever-addled idiot over the threshold.

"Welcome to the old apartment, Kyouko!" A delirious Shou chortled, flailing his hands in what she supposed was a welcoming gesture. "This is where we used to live, remember?"

Everyone stopped. The words hung frozen in the air. The clock at corner chimed the hour.

Asami cleared her throat. "Shoes off, people. I don't want us trailing mud all over the carpet."

"Could someone help me with his boots?" Kurosaki muttered as he toed off his own shoes and arranged his charge to sit on the floor.

"I'll do it." Kyouko walked past Asami-san and made quick work of tackling Shou's boots. She resisted the urge to whack them over the idiot's head and be done with it. Instead, she dutifully propped them on the shoe rack against the wall.

Asami busied herself by turning on the lights, giving Kyouko a fair idea of just how much had changed. It was, indeed, their old apartment - but the inside was an entirely different story altogether.

The boring cream-painted walls were covered with textured wallpaper of dark-gray-and-white retro design. Gone were the newspaper stack, TV bench, glass cabinet and wooden bureau that lined the far wall: in their place was an entertainment centre that boasted a 42-inch LCD monitor and a DVD player. Their old radio would have been put to shame by the sleek-looking sound-system bordered by racks of Shou's extensive CD and DVD collection.

Asami-san barely glanced around as she motioned for Kurosaki-sensei to follow her with Shou in tow. They walked further off into a room - which could only be Shou's bedroom. The place only had one: Kyouko had slept on a futon in the living room when they were sharing the place.

She took off her leather pumps and ambled towards the plush-looking maroon sofa in the middle of the room. The evening had definitely taken a turn for the bizarre. It was too much for her to handle all in one night - she needed to sit down. She had been skeptical about meeting Shou again after what transpired three months ago. And here she was, sitting in the middle of their old flat, assailed by memories and questions she was not quite ready to face.

Groaning silently at her predicament, she belatedly noticed that the small threadbare carpet had been replaced, as well. The white downy pelt under her stockinged feet easily spanned half of the small room. It also had stripes. She hoped to God it was fake; otherwise, it would mean that Shoutarou had some dead animal's hide strewn over his living room floor. She shuddered at the thought.

"You alright, Kyouko-chan?" Asami-san offered placatingly, "If you're worried about what Shou had let slip earlier, I could talk to Kurosaki and explain things."

Kyouko could not help but let out a dry laugh. "That was the farthest thing from my mind. It's already been two years - practically ancient history."

Asami-san looked as if she wanted to say more, but decided otherwise when Kurosaki-sensei joined them in the living room.

"I got the boy into some dry clothes and tucked him in," he declared, brows furrowed in concern as he glanced at the clock. "I should get you girls home."

"We're dropping you off first, Kyouko-chan." Asami shouldered her purse and she glanced at the younger woman. "Where do you live?"

"Minato-ku," Kyoko replied as she pried herself away from the cushions and followed the them to the door, where they put on their shoes.

"That's near here, not more than fifteen minutes away by car," Kurosaki remarked, holding the door open for the two women.

Asami glanced at her wristwatch and shook her head. "I can't believe that it's already past eleven."

The elevator doors dinged open and Kurosaki ushered the women in with a smile. "Don't worry, Mogami-san. We'll get you home well before your Cinderella curfew."

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

Shou woke up parched and slightly disoriented, despite waking up in his own room. He turned on his side, squinting at the blinking red lights of his alarm clock. It was quarter to four in the morning.

His brows furrowed as he back-tracked through the events of the evening: he remembered seeing Kyouko again and Kurosaki's condition for directing his PV; he remembered the bitter taste of caffeine and then there was the floor, looming disturbingly close to his face... For the life of him, he could not seem to form a coherent picture of what transpired afterwards - everything from that point on was just a strange fusion of blurry images in his head.

He gingerly got out of bed and was surprised to see himself in a pair of sweat pants and an old shirt. He shrugged and figured it was thanks to either Asami or Kurosaki's good will that he was warm and dry. He fished out his slippers from under the bed and scratched his belly - which rumbled in response, a belated reminder that he hadn't had any dinner at all. A mental inventory of what he had in his fridge and cupboard did not turn up anything promising. He was too lazy to cook anything and there were no nearby 24-hr food places in the area that deliver at four fucking AM; the best he could look forward to was a cup of instant noodles.

He shuffled out of the bedroom and headed towards the kitchen. Having already acclimated to the darkness, he carefully made his way across the living room without bothering with the lights. A slight movement, from the corner of his eye, startled him. The dark lump on his couch groaned and turned over, causing him to do a quick double-take at the sleeping figure.

"K-Kyouko?"

She slept on her side, curled slightly into herself, with one hand tucked under her cheek and the other clutching a cream-colored throw pillow to her chest.

He settled down on the carpet beside the couch. His hand reached out to tenderly brush away tendrils of her midnight hair from her face, his fingers drinking in the softness of her cheek. The vision before him was tangible and very much real. His eyes fell on her lips, slightly parted in her sleep. It would not take much for him to lean closer and lock his lips over her own...

"What are you doing, Baka-Shou?"

He started at the question and leaned back to meet Kyouko's sleepy but wary look.

"Watching you drool on my throw pillows," he threw back, easily putting her on the defensive with nothing more than a veiled taunt, which annoyed her to no end. He thought he sounded really cool - that was until his stomach rumbled loudly in discontent.

The corner of her lips twitched upwards, but she caught herself in time. "There's a pot of rice porridge on the stove," she stated evenly, turning on her side with her back to him. "It has chicken."

Kyouko chose to ignore the weight of his stare, snuggling deeper into the cushions instead. It was only after she heard his fading footsteps and the hum of the microwave in the kitchen did she allow herself to relax. Sleep came easily enough - she was on the verge of a dream sequence when the desk lamp suddenly lit up.

She smelled chicken and rolled over to find Shou sitting down a tray with two steaming bowls of porridge, two glasses and a pitcher of water on the coffee table. He sat down on the carpet across from her and held out a spoon.

Kyouko glared blearily at it. However hard she willed the spoon to vanish, it stubbornly persisted in its existence just beyond her nose.

"I'm not hungry. I'd rather sleep, thank you," she vocalized at last, hoping for the spoon to disappear along with the person holding it.

"I went through the trouble of heating this up -"

"I didn't ask you to feed me, too."

"- the least you could do is eat it."

"In the first place, I cooked it."

"Dammit, I'm trying to show some hospitality here!" he grit out, slamming one of the glasses against the tabletop.

"Then let me sleep!"

"I hate eating alone."

Kyouko stopped, the fight draining out of her system the moment she heard those words. Shou really did hate eating alone and she was surprised that she had forgotten that fact.

She sighed and pulled the bowl towards her - eating porridge was a paltry sum to pay just to keep him off her back.

Shou took her cue and started on his meal. After three spoonfuls, he was fairly inhaling the porridge. The only things that could measure up to Kyouko's cooking were those served in high-class restaurants. If those snotty places would have porridge in their menu, this would be it.

"Anything wrong with the porridge?" she asked, looking worriedly at his spoon poised over the steaming bowl.

Shou blinked at her. "No - nothing's wrong. I was just thinking how much I missed your cooking and sharing a meal with you, like this."

"I find that hard to believe," she snorted. "You're hardly the type to miss someone who had already outlived their usefulness."

Her words cut deep. But he'd be damned if he was just going to let her use him as her verbal scratching post.

"That's not fair," he grated out, hurt and anger evident in his tone. "I never left you. It was you who walked out on me."

She stopped eating and shot him cold look. "You don't really expect me to stay around after hearing what you told Shouko-san, do you?"

He dropped his gaze. His voice, for once, failed him, and he had to shake his head instead.

He may be selfish, but he wasn't that insensitive. He did a great job of convincing himself that it didn't matter - that she didn't matter. It figured that she would eventually get around to thinking that he never mattered, either. He just didn't figure it would hurt.

"Did you even get around to listening to that song I sent you?"

She replied non-committally, "Of course."

"Well?"

Her cellphone suddenly came alive. It was obviously set to sound an alarm at 5 AM - he was surprised to hear it playing his song.

Kyouko calmly picked it up and turned off the alarm. "It was okay."

Right there, he forgave her for not calling back. It was enough to know that she woke up every morning to a song he wrote for her.

They proceeded to eat in tense silence. Spoons scraping against bowls - the only sound that they dared to make as they tried to make the best out of the unspoken tenuous truce. She stopped eating at some point, placing her spoon face-down against the rim of her bowl and poured herself a glass of water. He glanced at her half-empty bowl and simply nodded to himself. After he finished with his porridge, he took hers and polished it off as well.

"I would have thought you went home."

"I did," she confirmed, placing the empty glass back on the table after taking a drink.

Shou turned the thought over in his head, trying to damp down the surge of hope in his chest. He looked up to find her studying him with a closed-off expression which was totally unfamiliar to him. Love or hate - Kyouko's feeling had always been transparent to him. It was disconcerting to be asking questions that he never had to bother with before.

"So, why'd you come back? " he asked, loading the bowls and the glasses back on the tray.

She groused grudgingly, "Because you're not enough of an idiot to be immune to the flu."

He hid his grin as he straightened up, holding the tray in both hands, and raised an eyebrow at the back-handed compliment. "Is that all?"

"And, apparently, I AM enough of an idiot to worry over you being alone." The expression that flitted on her face reminded Shou of what he was doing - almost done - when he woke her up.

"Thank you," he sincerely replied, touched by her concern, unwilling to admit guilt. "Kyouko, I wa-"

Her phone rang, cutting him off in mid-sentence. She sent him an apologetic look and flipped the top open to answer the call.

"Hi, there!" she greeted with a smile. "Thanks for calling back. So, how did the photo shoot go?"

The affection in her query was hard to ignore. He found it fairly irritating when she got up from the couch and walked past him, heading for the bathroom. He hurriedly stalked after her, a feeling of anxiety burning in his chest.

He quickly dumped the tray on the kitchen sink with a clatter and barely managed to catch the bathroom door with his foot before she got around to closing it. "Is that Tsuruga?" he demanded, not caring if the bastard could hear him from the other end. "Does he know that you're with ME?"

"Of course he knows. I told him I'm here because of your idiotic predicament," Kyouko addressed him matter-of-factly with the phone still tucked against her ear. "Can I have a bit of privacy, please?"

She leaned her weight against the door, eyeing him warily through the crack. He retuned her probing glare and stubbornly kept his foot where it was. They were both obviously thinking of that time back when he rudely cut off her call with her esteemed senpai. He started to open his mouth, only to be ignored as she turned to her phone again.

"There's no need to bother Yashiro-san for that!" she protested testily, "The idiot's well enough to argue with me, so I guess he'll be fine on his own. I'll just grab a cab to get back home."

Shou's temper snapped, stomping his foot on the floor. "Stop calling me an idiot! And stop talking as if I'm not here, dammit!"

Kyouko ignored him completely and continued on with her conversation, "By the way, I've decided to take Kurosaki-sensei's offer to work on the PV. I hope you understand."

He quieted down immediately at her words. His mind drew a blank on why she would even bother with that bastard's opinion. He hated the fact that he had no say on the matter.

"Thank you, Ren." Her voice sweet and endearing as she reassured the man on the other end of the line, grated against his nerve. "I'll be fine, you worry too much, senpai. I'll see you when you get back."

She flipped her phone close, raised her head and squarely met his gaze. "Looks like I'll be working with you again, Shou."


	6. Chapter 6

Skip Beat! is by Nakamura Yoshiki

I had to re-format 3 chapters before uploading ch06 today. Apparently, the site is not too happy with my previous choice of scene separators. :p

* * *

Monday morning found him bright and early at the Fuji TV studios, toting a brown paper bag, courtesy of the coffee shop across the street.

Most of the ground crew were already there; they were busy putting in the final touches to the set, testing the lighting equipment as well as the sound systems. He spied his manager amidst the controlled chaos and made a quick beeline towards the breakout table.

"You're unusually early," Shouko said in lieu of a proper greeting, glancing at the paper bag he set on top of the storyboards. "And that is...?"

"Bribe." He pulled a tall cup of latte out from the bag along with a few packets of sugar and cream. "Keep them away from her dressing room for ten minutes and it's yours."

"Aren't we a bit too eager to see a certain someone today?" she remarked, taking the paper bag from its precarious perch while checking out the rest of its contents. "And you even got her breakfast... Hmm, now I'm really curious . Anything good happened Friday night?"

"Look, nothing happened." Shou sighed in exasperation as he parked himself in the seat across hers. "If something good DID happen, then I wouldn't be asking for your help just so I could talk to her."

"Fine." She pulled the cap off the steaming latte and stirred in two packets of brown sugar. "Just make sure you don't do anything to antagonize Kyouko-chan and screw up today's timetable," she warned, stabbing a manicured finger against Shou's chest before walking off to the dressing rooms. "Otherwise, Asami's going to skin our hides."

"I'll behave, I can promise you that much. However, I can't ensure the same for her," he called out, grabbing the paper bag and hurrying after her.

Shouko shook her head, resigned to the fact that she would always end up either as a witness or an accomplice to Shou's coincidental and not-so-coincidental encounters with Kyouko. She raised her hand, and was just about to knock on Kyouko's dressing room door when it opened unexpectedly.

"Ohayou, Kyoko-cha~ eh?" She looked up and almost choked on air. Her voice came out much like a strangled squeak, a cacophony of alarm bells ringing in her head. "T-Tsuruga-san?"

Japan's number one actor, who was standing inside Kyouko-chan's dressing room, inclined his head in genial greeting. "Hello, Aki-san."

She beheld the brilliance of his gentlemanly smile even as she mentally counted down her ward's imminent explosion: ... _three... two... one..._

"What the hell is HE doing HERE?" Shou growled, right on cue.

The intensity of Tsuruga Ren's smile increased a few hundred wattage as he turned to address Shou. "And 'good morning' to you, too, Fuwa."

"Who is it, Ren?" Kyouko's voice drifted from inside the room. Shouko was immediately struck by the subtle intimacy of the situation, which was not lost on the glowering young man behind her.

"Aki-san is looking for you," he replied and, almost like an afterthought, added, "Fuwa-san is here as well."

"Fuwa-san? Oh, you mean Shou!" Kurosaki Ushio suddenly appeared from behind Ren with Kyouko in tow. The director crossed the threshold and casually clapped a hand over Shou's shoulder. "Good thing you're early, there are some changes I need to discuss with you." With Kyouko and Shou in each arm, followed by Ren and Shouko, he lead their small group towards the middle of the set where everyone else was gathered.

"Alright, listen up, folks!" he called out, motioning for everyone to come closer. "Unfortunately, the actor who was supposed to play opposite Kyouko called in sick."

"What's that got to do with HIM, anyway?" Shou had a sinking feeling he would not like the answer to this one.

"Fortunately," the director continued, unlit cigarette cinched in his toothy grin, "Tsuruga-san was kind enough to stand-in for the scene."

The news elicited exclamations of approval from everyone involved in the production; their preparations would not go to waste and everything would proceed as planned. Wardrobe was already getting someone to deliver Tsuruga's suit - even Kyouko acquiesced with nothing more than a slight shrug and a smile. Asami-san would probably tell him to just grin and bear with it.

"I guess that's an affirmative." Kurosaki nodded, "Let's get crackin', people! We start in one hour."

Everyone was happy - everyone, that is, except him.

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

Today was not a good day.

Shou's forbidding countenance would have been enough reason for Shouko to cancel the filming. But Shou himself refused to do such a thing, saying that that would be unprofessional and almost like admitting defeat. She couldn't even blame him for being royally pissed-off - considering the effort he put in just to steal a few minutes alone with Kyouko, one would have thought the gods could have been a bit more kind.

"Ne, Shouko-san, any chance that the gorge-star got called away in some emergency photo shoot?" he asked in a bored yet rather hopeful tone when she entered his dressing room.

"No. Last I checked, he's still there." Shouko sat down and absently noticed the half-eaten remains of his breakfast on the coffee table. "But I don't expect him to hang around after the first scene, at the altar. He is a very busy man, after all."

"For someone who's supposedly busy, he sure does have a lot of time to waste around her," he muttered, throwing the magazine he was reading across the table.

"Apparently, he was just dropping Kyouko off when the director met them by chance." She picked up the magazine and figured he must have been reading the gossip columns. There had been a lot of speculation regarding the nature of the relationship between the two, especially after they were seen posing together in almost every picture taken during the awards night last February.

"Yeah, right," Shou snorted derisively, swiveling around in his chair. "And the next thing you know, he's the stand-in for the no-show groom."

"Careful, Shou. For a moment there, you almost sounded as if you were jealous of Tsuruga-san."

He glanced at the half-page photo that Shouko was scrutinizing of Kyouko posing with Tsuruga Ren. "And what if I am?"

Shou realized that admitting to such an emotion was not only annoying, it was demeaning, as well. Seeing that bastard lounging around her dressing room brought up questions that he dared not think about, much less voice out, simply because he was afraid of the answers.

"Then you're just being pathetic."

"W-What?" He whirled around at Shouko's harsh words, barely managing to keep himself from falling with his swivel chair, as it crashed to the tiled floor. "E-Excuse me?"

"Isn't that just your selfishness talking?" she continued in an icy monotone, "You hardly did anything of merit for Kyouko-chan. What makes you think you even have the right to such frivolous emotions?"

Shou was struck dumb, mouth agape in mute outrage. Swallowing past the tightness in his throat, the pain seemed to have settled deep in his chest and was intent on burning a hole there. A crushing sense of helplessness gripped him - for the second time in his life, he was made to feel that his existence and just about everything he strove so hard to accomplish were merely superfluous.

He hated it.

The last time he was made to feel like this was when those 'beagles' tried to steal his act. Fortunately, Kyouko was there to kick some sense into him - but he only ended up hurting her for her efforts, because of his pride. It was the first time he actually loathed himself. Shou sought her out and surprised himself by the depth and sincerity of his own apology. Kyouko forgave him - it was anti-climactic and rather half-hearted, but it absolved his conscience. However, he did find it irritating how she easily brushed off the incident and rushed back to work.

Too bad Kyouko wouldn't be doing him the same favor anytime soon, considering the circumstances - but that didn't mean that he wasn't going to do anything about it.

"You're right, Shouko-san," he calmly conceded, silently thanking her for her astuteness. "I have better things to do than waste time indulging in petty jealousies." _Like getting Kyouko to take me seriously, for once._

"Forgiveness is one thing, but getting her to trust you with her heart again..." She shook her head and sighed. "I think you have better chances changing the course of the Sumidagawa with a spoon."

"Am I really that hopeless?" he asked, only to retract his statement when she opened her mouth to speak, "No! Please, don't answer that! That question was purely rhetorical in nature."

A soft knock had them turning towards the door. Shouko merely shook her head at his inanity and called in their visitor.

"A~no, excuse me..." A girl timidly peered from behind the door and blushed the moment her eyes alighted on Shou. "Fuwa-san, Kurosaki-sensei is calling for you on the set."

"I'll be there." He smiled and winked at her as he shrugged into his jacket.

The way her eyes lit up even as her blush reached the tips of her ears reminded him of a girl he lost: the very same girl he was going to win back. Because a future without her was not even worth contemplating.

Shou swore to himself that he would never give Kyouko a chance to call him a coward ever again.

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

"Jilted bridegroom." The director looked up from his clipboard to peer over the rim of his shades at the tall actor who raised his hand. "Check.

"Main protagonist." He then glanced at the blonde rocker who was glaring daggers at Japan's no. 1 and had to stifle his laughter. "Check."

"Aren't you a tad over-qualified for this role?" Shou fairly sneered, voice heavy with sarcasm, but in a low enough tone to keep other people from hearing.

"I don't mind," Tsuruga coolly replied. "Besides, I'm not about to pass up the chance to see Kyouko play this particular role - even if it is for _your_ PV."

"I'd be more than happy to see you gone from the set," Shou said, making it plainly clear that he was not too happy with the current casting.

Ren's smile was a shade away from being a smirk. "Oh, I bet you would. Unfortunately, that's not happen-"

"Runaway bride."

The two men suddenly stopped in the middle of their dispute, heads turned in unison towards the direction of Kyouko's dressing room, just in time to see her step out, wearing a wedding gown.

Shou half-expected her to be decked out in some atrocious princess-type gown with a wide skirt, be-ribboned with satin and lace, weighed down with crystals and pearls - what she wore instead was of a more simple, but elegant, cut. The halterneck left her shoulders and a good expanse of her upper back deliciously bare. The silk was gathered and cinched at her waist, leaving it to fall straight half an inch off the floor at the front, while the rest of the fabric trailed behind her.

"So, what do you think?" Kyouko breathed, gloved hands smoothing down non-existent wrinkles on the skirt of her gown, unknowingly captivating hearts with her shy smile.

"You are beautiful." Her question was clearly not meant for him - hell, he'd probably be the last one she'd ask - but the words were out before he could stop them.

"Did you hit your head somewhere, Shou?" she asked - wariness clouded her amber eyes, even as the corner of her painted lips lifted upwards. "I could have sworn that sounded suspiciously like a compliment."

"And what if it was? Surely, I'm not the first guy to tell you that." He realized that his blunder actually got her attention away from Tsuruga and focused it on him instead - he planned to keep it for as long as he could.

"Of course not - but, coming from you... well, it's not something I expected to hear."

"I would have to agree him though - you make a beautiful bride," Tsuruga concurred, shrugging into a white Armani blazer. "Playing the jilted groom could prove to be quite a traumatic experience." The deadpan way he said it elicited a round of laughter from the crew and a dark glare from the singer for his intrusion.

'Don't patronize me and compliment her in the same breath, you smooth-talking bastard!' Shou thought as he silently fumed in anger.

"Okay, people, let's get this started!" Kurosaki announced over his megaphone, "Places everyone!"

Shou had no choice but to leave the set where they set up the altar and started to follow the director over to the camera crew.

"Tell me, Kyouko," he heard the bastard ask in all seriousness, "What should I do to keep you from leaving me at the altar?"

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

One minute and thirty seconds: that was exactly how long it took for Kurosaki Ushio to figure out the love triangle of Ren-Kyouko-Shou.

The scene had to undergo a re-take after he deemed the first one to be a magnificent disaster - personally, he thought it was one of the best scenes he had ever done. But the raw emotions that seemed to permeate every glance and movement captured on camera was not something they could afford to show the public - even Haruki had to agree with him on that one.

The second take turned out to be perfect - everything he asked for was executed flawlessly. It lacked the appeal of the first one, but it was camera-perfect nonetheless, for everyone's purpose, at least. Haruki readily concurred with him after they reviewed the second take, and it was then decided that the latter would be used for the PV.

The edited version was handed over to him for his review earlier that afternoon. It had been sitting untouched on his desk for the past hour.

Inside the viewing room, Kurosaki rewound the the initial take for what seemed to be the umpteenth time and started watching - again:

Shou opened the double doors to the couple standing at the altar and called out her name. Kyouko started to turn, but Ren had stayed her with nothing more than a touch on her arm. He caught her gaze instead and held it captive. The camera captured Shou's expression as he watched the flickering emotions across Kyouko's eyes, made luminous by unshed tears. A gloved hand settled over her heart, her soft lips parting as her breath hitched in her chest.

Her subtle gestures spoke volumes. They were enough to reassure one man's mind and break another's heart.

"Kyouko!" Shou's voice cut through the scene. He ran up to her, grabbed her hand and turned to lead her away, only to be met with resistance and a pained gasp from the bride. He turned back to find the groom firmly holding on to her arm.

At that point, everything could have still been salvaged... that was until the rocker-yarou decided to ad-lib instead of sticking to the damn script, succinctly telling Ren to -

"FUCK. OFF."

- and that was when he finally called the cut.

The scene paused with the actors frozen on the screen. He sighed and slouched deeper into his chair, one hand dangling over the armrest, loosely holding the remote control. He heard the door open and craned his neck to see a silhouette of a woman standing at the doorway - he would know those curves anywhere.

"I knew I'd find you here," she said, reaching out to flip the switch beside the door.

The lights flickered to life, causing him to blink away the dark spots in his vision at the sudden brightness that flooded the room. "What can I do for you, Haruki-chan?" he asked, a lascivious grin spreading across his face as he watched her lock the door. "Isn't it bit too early for that?"

Other than the telltale narrowing of her eyes, she never gave any indication that she heard his innuendo at all. "Ushio-kun, what were you thinking when you agreed to have Tsuruga Ren stand-in as the groom?"

"The truth?" He straightened up in his seat, his face suddenly serious. "I wanted to see it for myself. I had my suspicions, of course - heck, everyone does - I just needed to confirm mine."

"Shou's usually level-headed, most of the time. You could practically count in one hand the number of people who could make him lose his cool." She sat down beside him and stared at the stark clarity of Shou's emotions caught on film. "Unfortunately, Tsuruga Ren does it by simply breathing the same air as Kyouko-chan."

"The brat's got nothing on Tsuruga - he's a hundred years too early to even try." He muttered around the cigarette dangling on his lip and nodded towards the screen, "Your little boy needs to grow-up, Haruki. Otherwise, he's going to lose the girl."

* * *

A/N: Halfway through the story, I would like to thank all the people who read through this series and found that it was not a wasted click of the mouse. My heartfelt gratitude to all those who went out of their way to post reviews and even PM'ed me. To the amazing people who gave criticism, suggestions and glowing feedback - thank you - it's good to know that my writing has managed touch your emotions in some way.

Again, thanks everyone. (o_o)v


	7. Chapter 7

Skip Beat! is by Nakamura Yoshiki

Why write about Shou? Because he's a character with lots of potential for development - and that's what makes him a challenge to write. And there just isn't enough love out there for the rocker-yarou.

* * *

"Oh, look!" the girl exclaimed, tugging at her co-star's sleeve and pointing to a wide-screen TV, "They're showing the teaser for Shou's latest PV."

"I'm not really a fan of-" Amamiya Chiori started, only to do a quick double take when she saw the bride who was running away with the rock star. "Eeh? It's Kyouko-senpai!"

"Wow, lucky her." Maruyama Rumi excitedly gushed, still clutching at her friend's sleeve, "The first time she appears in his PV and she even gets to kiss him!"

_No. It's her second time appearing in one of his PVs,_ Chiori silently corrected, watching the scene with a critical eye. _It's amazing that she actually agreed to do this scene! Anyone watching who was not privy to their history would never suspect that Kyouko-senpai hated the rocker-yarou._

The short promotional video ended with an accompanying chorus of sighs. Rumi and Chiori glanced about and noticed that the number of awestruck fan girls around them had considerably grown in less than two minutes.

"That was so intense! If that was me, I think I would have fainted on the spot!"

"Does the single come with the video?"

"Oh, wow. If Kyouko-chan's on it, then I'm buying!"

"Let's get going, Rumi." Chiori groused, trying her best to give the clamoring mob a wide berth, "I don't want to be stuck in the middle of this useless drivel."

"Ne, Chiori-san. That kiss..." Rumi worried her bottom lip, unsure how to continue, before she finally managed to forge ahead,"D-do you think t-that Kyouko-san is in love with Fuwa Shou?"

"I think you got it wrong." Chiori's eyes narrowed shrewdly at life-size poster cut-out of the singer. "The question should be: Is Fuwa Shou in love with Kyouko?"

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

Shou resisted the urge to tap his foot as he watched the closed door from across the hallway, while drinking his bottle of Pocari. It was not as if Kyouko knew he was waiting for her in the first place - if she did, she would have probably snuck out of the building without him ever knowing that she already left.

The dressing room door finally opened and Kyouko stepped out with her fellow actresses, prompting him to straighten up and toss down the rest of his drink. He waited for them to say their goodbyes before walking up behind her. "Oi, Kyouko."

It was quite a sight to see her jump out of her skin in alarm when he whispered her name against her ear. She turned around so fast, her hair whipped against his chest.

He met her corrosive glare with a smirk of his own. "Could you at least pretend that you're happy to see me?"

"A wasted effort and, besides, I'm too tired to bother." She kneaded her forehead and tucked a wayward strand behind her ear. "What are you doing here, Shou?"

"Just finished a TV spot on Music Heaven," he said, keeping his voice light and casual as he slipped his hands inside his coat pockets. "I was on my way out to grab a bite when I saw you, and... I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner." She gave him a blank look, which in turn, had him fidgeting and prompted him to add tightly: "With me."

"Why?" she queried, one brow raised in skepticism.

His hands, hidden from view, fisted inside his pockets. "Let's say it's my way of apologizing for what happened on Monday."

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," she stated evenly and continued towards the taxi stand. "Stop using me to assuage your guilt."

"Like hell I'm going to feel guilty for telling that pin-head actor to fuck off!" he cursed, grabbing her wrist - forcing her to stop and look at him. "And, despite what you think, I don't go around bad-mouthing him to get back at you."

_Because the last thing I want to do is hurt you, again. _

The words hung in the air between them; unspoken, yet understood. He could see that she was surprised by his outburst - possibly rendered speechless, as well. She dropped his gaze and stared at a point just beyond his shoulders, her brows pinched in thought.

The silence stretched until it bordered on uncomfortable.

He cleared his throat, trying to salvage the situation from being too awkward. "Look, it's just dinner. I know you're tired, so I'll try not to keep you for too long."

After a heartbeat or two, she finally met his gaze and offered, "Palette Town's the closest food place from here."

It was his turn to be caught by surprise: he fully expected her to put up a fight and was more than ready for it; what he did not expect was for her to a come up with a tentative truce.

She hailed a cab and climbed into it. Having no other option but to follow her lead, he climbed in and sat next to her in the backseat.

"Any preference?" he asked, unable to fend off the smile from spreading across his face.

"Anything is good," she replied, setting her bag down on the seat between them, "just as long as it's not frog legs."

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

Dinner turned out to be ramen. After all, one would never expect famous personalities, like an award-winning actress and Oricon's chart-topping rock star, to dine at such an ordinary ramen shop.

"Are you going to finish that?" Shou motioned to the plate of gyoza sitting next to her elbow with his chopsticks. Kyouko simply shook her head and continued to slurp her ramen.

He chanced upon the sight of noodles disappearing between her pursed lips and suddenly felt his gut tighten... He fumbled with the dumpling, it accidentally (luckily) dropped into the sauce dish, causing a bit of the soy sauce to spatter on the table top.

"Careful, there," she cautioned, licking the broth from her lips, the tip of her pink tongue disappearing at the corner of her mouth. Shou was sure that the sight of it was going to haunt him for days - not that it was going to make things any worse, considering he's been losing sleep over that kiss since Monday night.

Had he simply imagined it all? Her tender gaze, the longing in her touch, and the passion in her kiss. How she could kiss him like that and not feel anything at all?

He viciously speared the offending dumpling and decimated it in two bites. He was about to start on the last piece when he caught her looking at him. "What is it?"

"That's supposed to be my line, isn't it?" Kyouko set her chopsticks across her bowl and pinned him with her amber gaze. "What exactly are you playing at, Shou?"

"What makes you think I'm playing at anything?" he retorted, but she only narrowed her eyes at him.

Shou sighed; he reached into his coat pocket with his free hand and withdrew an envelope. "I just wanted to give you these concert tickets; the show's happening at the end of this month."

"That's next week." Kyouko glanced at the tickets but made no move to take them. "I can't - I'll be really busy by then."

"It's on the weekend."

"Especially on the weekend."

"C'mon, Kyouko! It's the launch concert for my new single, the one for which we just finished filming the PV a week ago." Shou took her hand and forced her fingers to close around the tickets. "You have to be there."

"I told you, I already have something planned," she griped, waving the envelope in front of his nose. "You can't expect me to just drop everything for this!"

This time, it was he who narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You have a date with that pin head actor, don't you?"

"That is none of your business," Kyouko replied heatedly, "and even if I did, it doesn't have anything to do-!"

"Of course, it does!" Shou violently cut in, slamming his hands on the table. "You won't be there, because you'd be with him instead."

Her nostrils flared as she took a long breath, her lips tightened in a straight line as she met his glare head on. In the next instant, she grabbed her bag, pushed away from the table and walked out on him without another word.

Shou, having finally gotten over his initial shock, quickly marched after her. Practically causing the cashier to jump as he slapped a 2000-yen bill on wooden countertop on his way out.

He looked both ways the moment he hit the streets and found her at the sidewalk curb.

"Hey, you want a pair of free tickets to that jerkwad's concert?" She had the tickets shoved under some stranger's nose as she jerked a finger at his poster ad for a cologne.

"Eh? Why would I want... Did you say FREE?" The guy pushed back his spectacles and squinted down at the pair of tickets peeking out of a torn envelope. "Are you serious? These are VIP seats to Fuwa Shou's sold-out concert!"

"Well? Do you want it or not?"

_What the fuck? The crazy chick was trying to pawn off her prime seat tickets on some random passerby on the street!_

"Of course-!"

"No, you don't." Shou filched the tickets from Kyouko's grasp and bared his teeth at the 'lucky' bystander. "Trust me, four-eyes: You DON'T."

"Uh-huh. Yeah, y-you're r-right. I'd much rather go l-listen to an indie rock b-band, anyway." They both watched the guy skitter away with mixed-feelings and opposing sentiments.

The air between them was fraught with so much tension, he could practically feel it crackling. In the end, it was he who conceded the wordless battle and finally broke the silence.

"There's an after-concert party at the Nikko. You just need to show these tickets at the reception and they'll tell you where," he said, holding out the tickets for her to take. "If you can't make it for the concert, you could at least try to make it to the party."

She sighed, but decided to accept the tickets anyway, "I'll try."

"Promise me that you'd be there," he demanded.

_He had NEVER begged for anything in his life, dammit! And he sure as hell was NOT going to start now!_

"I promise that I would TRY to be there."

"Ok, fine," Shou huffed and stuffed his hands back into his coat pocket. At this point, he knew it was the closest thing to a promise he could wheedle out of her.

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

It was quarter after nine, but Shou still loathed for his impromptu date to come to an end without accomplishing anything. Kyouko was still stubbornly making her way to the trains despite his offer to share a cab and just drop her off at her place.

"Want to get coffee?" he asked, in hopes of keeping her for another half-hour.

"I better not - otherwise, I'd have trouble sleeping later."

Shou kept walking beside her, though he deliberately slowed down his pace to buy himself time to think of something. He smirked when Kyouko was forced to do the same.

His eyes alighted on the Daikanransha - its mesmerizing lights called forth a long buried memory to the forefront of his mind.

_They were walking home from a gig he did at one of the more prominent clubs in the city. He fished out the fancy card from the babe who approached him after his set and introduced herself to be a talent scout for Akatoki Records. Somehow, he had a good feeling about this one - hell, he wouldn't mind meeting her again, since she's got a dynamite body._

_"I wonder how Tokyo looks like from up there?" he heard Kyouko ponder aloud beside him, staring up at the huge Ferris wheel. "I hope to ride it and see for myself, someday."_

_"Why not now?" he asked. Feeling magnanimous, he peeled off a couple of bills from his wallet. "My treat - I got paid for tonight's gig, after all." Besides, having the world under your feet in a span of fifteen minutes was a very appealing prospect. _

_Kyouko only shook her head and smiled. "No, we'll ride it when your dream has finally come true." She pointed at the top-most capsule suspended in the sky, "We'll ride it together, Shou-chan! All the way to the top!"_

_"Yeah," he reached down to link his pinkie finger with hers and smiled at her blushing face, "all the way to the top!"_

Looking at her now, he wondered if she still remembered that promise - more importantly, he wondered if she could bring herself to even care about it.

"Hey, Kyouko," he heard himself ask, "do you want to ride that instead?"

For a moment, he thought he saw a flicker of emotion cross her face when she briefly glanced at the Ferris wheel - but the non-committal tone of her voice had him thinking otherwise: "No, not really."

"Well, I guess after a ride or two, the novelty starts to wear off," he offered, fighting off the irrational surge of bitterness at her apathy.

"Actually, I haven't been on it."

Her words brought him to a complete halt. He was just about to ask why when his gaze accidentally met that of a random bystander.

"Oh, shit," he murmured under his breath, pulling the cap lower over his head. His pace quickened as he began to notice the speculative glances around them.

She tensed, but immediately hastened her own pace to match his. "What is it?"

"C'mon." Shou gave her no chance to protest as he grabbed her hand and began to shoulder his way through the throng of people in front of them.

"Where are we going?" she called after him, her boot heels clicking against the cobbled walkway.

"Guess." He glanced back with a half-smirk and saw the neon lights of the Ferris wheel reflected in her eyes.

He broke into a run and imagined running away with her.

The two of them breezed through the ticket booth (it was already closed) and headed straight for the platform. He reached across the boy who just emptied a car, his hand on the door, keeping it from sliding shut. "I'll take this one, thank you."

"H-hey! You can't ride that! It's the last-!" The pimple-faced youth stopped midway, his jaw dropping to the floor when he finally got a good look at who had just commandeered the car.

Shou quickly tugged Kyouko behind him, using his bulk and the door to shield her. He reached into his pocket and threw a crumpled bill at the boy, flashing his best hell-raising rocker smile. "Here's 5000 yen: tell the guy manning the wheel to give me another round," he said, shutting the door.

The boy opened his mouth, only to close it again. He cleared his throat, then hoarsely cried out, "Holy shit! It-it's Fuwa Shou!"

Shou watched as the boy ran over to the wheel's control box and talked to some guy who he figured to be the technician. He chuckled when the boy finally turned around to wave at them, flashing a victory sign.

Kyouko, who was also watching the entire exchange, turned away from the window to face him. Her reaction vacillated between hilarity and horror. "Did you just bribe that guy?"

"I sure did!" He plopped down on the padded bench beside her, still high from all the adrenaline-induced excitement.

Their eyes met and there was just no helping it... They burst out laughing. He laughed until he was red-faced and had to wipe away tears from his eyes. And she was laughing too - that pure, tinkling, chime-like laughter that he had dreamed of hearing for the past year.

Soon, the laughter died down and comfortable silence settled over them. He missed this - The unassuming quiet and warmth of her assurance that he was not alone.

"Ne, Shou. I guess you can let go of my hand now."

His gaze automatically fell on their joined hands resting on the seat between them. He had been holding on to her since they started running, and had yet to let go of her.

"Didn't you know? Holding hands is a must for riding these things!" he declared, shifting his hold, bringing their palms flat against each other, his fingers twined with hers.

"Would you stop kidding around?" She started to tug her hand away, but he was having none of it - he brought their hands up to his chest and pinned her elbow against his side. The move had him looming over her, preventing any futher movement as he stared her down.

"I'll let go," he said, even as his grip tightened reflexively. "I'll let go, only if you agree to answer my question."

Kyouko glared back. "Fine - ask away, Shou."

"Why wouldn't you ride this Ferris wheel?" he queried, his eyes boring into hers. "You're at Fuji TV often enough. How many times did those friends of yours beg you to ride it with them, only to have you turn them down?" He leaned in, bringing his face dangerously closer. "Did that beloved senpai of yours ask you to ride it with him? Did you have tell him 'no' as well?"

"That's one too many questions," she said, looking at him from under the fringe of her lashes. "Why didn't you just ask straight out if I'm still waiting for you to make good on that promise to ride it with me?"

His eyes widened in disbelief as he backed away, utterly flabbergasted at how she managed to cut through his layers of pretenses and simply asked the question for him. "Well, are you?" he pressed, feeling like a heel for leading her on.

She waved her free hand dismissively. "Nah. I gave up on that a long time ago. No need for you to feel guilty over something so trivial."

_Trivial._ Is that what his promises amounted to in her eyes - something trivial?

His grip slackened and her hand fell away from his grasp. He took a deep breath despite the tightness in his chest and looked out the window to the thousand of lights that littered the ground below.

The old Kyouko had been needy, clingy and everything that a rock star on the rise would consider detrimental to his career. He had considered Shouko-san's suggestion to send her back home to Kyoto, but he doubted he could have done it so easily.

Even though he did say all those things, he had never meant for her to hear them. But words said in ignorance do not make them less true - and, as Kyouko had pointed out, he could not really blame her for leaving after hearing all that trash-talk.

This new Kyouko was confident, self-assured and all that he could ever want in a woman - only problem was that she didn't want him.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she whispered beside him, her fingers lightly tracing the faraway city lights on the glass pane. A ghost of a smile was on her lips when she turned to face him. "Thanks for showing me this, Shou."

There was precious little she would allow him to do for her. He gazed at her heartbreakingly rare smile, and wished that he could stretch fifteen minutes to forever.


	8. Chapter 8

Skip Beat! is by Nakamura Yoshiki

Song used for this chapter is **愛は戦争****- Ai wa Sensou (Love is War)** by kooyo*P. It's the male version of the Vocaloid song **恋は戦争****- Koi Sensou (Love is War)** by ryo from the supercell album.

I would recommend listening to 蛇足 - Dasoku's version of this song. You can't possibly miss it on YouTube - my girl friend swears that this guy has a voice for pr0n.

* * *

_行き場の無い焦燥 この愛の荷重差_

_This uneasiness has nowhere to go, bothered by the difference in our love._

_藍色の空 微粒子の光角_

_The Indigo colored sky shines with stars, little particles refracting light_

_日差しは沈み 闇弱に響く機械音_

_The sun sets, leaving only a dark gloomy resonance_

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

Shou flipped through his lyric notes as he reclined on the passenger seat, only half-listening to Shouko rattle off her last-minute checklist as she navigated through Tokyo traffic.

"We'll have the usual light-and-sound check two hours before the concert. There shouldn't be any problems, but just in case, that should give the technicians more than enough time to fix it." She glanced at him before changing gears. "Got that, Shou?"

"Yeah, I got it."

Stifling a yawn, he gazed outside the tinted car windows for any sort of inspiration and chanced upon a silver car parked in front of a delivery truck. He absently noted that the Porsche was a left-hand drive – a rarity in Japan, where the standard was right-hand drive.

"I'm going in to pick up some things," his manager nodded at the corner store as she pulled to a stop right next to the sidewalk. "You want anything, Shou?"

"Nah, I'm good," he replied, barely looking away from the sports car just across the street. Something about it was insistently poking at his memory. He vaguely heard the soft click of the door as it closed behind her.

He continued to watch the car from the side mirror and felt a twinge of envy when a blond gaijin unfolded his long frame from the driver seat and went to the passenger side to open the door.

_Damn tall foreigners. Well, that's all they got going for them anyway - height and a pretty face._

Shou was surprised to see a Japanese girl step out of the car: short hair dyed to a light caramel brown, a slim build and slightly taller than average.

Panic had him reaching for the door handle as he watched the girl reluctantly hand over the duffel bag she was carrying to the tall man.

_Kyo-Kyouko? What the hell is she doing with some no-name gaijin? I haven't heard anything about her specifically working on a drama or movie with some foreigner._

The guy smiled as he shouldered the bag, chucking her playfully under the chin, before pulling out luggage from the trunk of the car. He watched as the gaijin ushered her into the lobby of the mansion-type apartment building. The familiarity by which the other man's hand rested on the small of her back had him grinding his molars.

_Impossible – that couldn't possibly be her. Kyouko's NOT that kind of girl. _That thought alone allowed him to keep a tight rein on his turbulent emotions.

He finally let go of the car handle and settled back in his seat. Closing his eyes, he started counting backwards from twenty to curb the impulse of running after the couple and making a spectacle of himself.

_Just because she's not looking our way doesn't mean she's not interested in other guys. What's stopping her from having a relationship with Tsuruga Ren? What's stopping her from moving in with some blond foreigner?_

Shou turned to glare at his reflection, only to find his image staring at him with a pained self-mocking smile: _And when Kyouko finally moves on, where does that leave us?_

"Hey, Shou, wake up! Wake-!"

He gasped aloud, eyes quickly scanning his surroundings. He was in the car that Shouko was driving, somewhere in downtown Tokyo.

"You were asleep when I came back. I didn't wake you, since I figured you needed the rest." She stopped at a red light and sent him a sidelong glance, "Are you okay?"

He simply nodded and breathed deeply, not trusting himself to speak yet.

"Here's something to brighten up your day -" she said, casually tossing a magazine at his lap "- Kyouko-chan's photo shoot for Vogue!" Shouko shifted gears and brought the car back into traffic before nodding towards the magazine, "Talk about pulling off a dramatic persona change."

Any second thoughts he had about the girl he saw earlier fizzled the moment his gaze landed on front cover. The sultry short-haired vixen bore no resemblance to the girl who rode the Ferris wheel with him - nor was she anything like the ethereal bride in his video. It was hard to imagine that all three of them were the actually same woman.

He quickly flipped through the pages and was stunned when he found several photo spreads of Kyouko - where he immediately noticed a couple of shots where she wasn't the only one posing in them…

"Oh. Wow." he heard Shouko breathe out as they openly stared at one artistically risqué picture. "Now, THAT is hot."

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

_嗚呼、世界が荒んで それでも好きでいれるかなんて_

_Ah, the world runs wild; even so, I still love you_

_分かりきった この暗号を君に_

_It's such an obvious secret_

_どうすれば 伝わるか_

_But how do I convey it to you?_

_バカだな… 俺は_

_What an idiot... I am_

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

His world erupted in thunderous applause.

Shou was panting hard, trying to catch his breath as adrenaline thrummed throughout his veins. Arms raised, he smiled into the spotlights and closed his eyes, basking in the worshipful chanting of the masses. Sweat plastered his hair to his forehead - he could feel it trickling along his temple, down his neck and torso - but he didn't care. In this small, infinitesimal, moment in time, he was their god.

The spotlights blinked out, plunging the stage in darkness.

Shou opened his eyes and strained to find her in the sea of cheering faces in the front row. The crowd was starting the call for an encore and he could hear Shouko's voice in his earpiece, asking if he up to giving one. He promised himself earlier that evening that he would perform an encore only if _she_ was there. He wrote it for her, after all - it just did not feel right singing it without her. Even though she already made it clear that it was almost impossible for her to attend the concert itself, she did grudgingly promise to at least make it to the party - but that never stopped him from hoping.

"Where are you, Kyouko?"

"Look behind you," the new voice in his earpiece commanded - and he did.

His eyes lit up as he watched the scene on the four widescreen panels that served as his stage backdrop. Overwhelming relief rushed through him, making him slightly weak in the knees.

"Sing your encore, Shou," Asami-san urged, smiling as the camera zoomed-in on a particular girl standing in the crowd. "Sing it for her."

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

_君を守るよ これは戦争_

_I will protect you in this is war._

_傷付いてく君を見るなんて_

_I cannot stand to see you get hurt_

_溺れる愛 これは罪_

_To drown in this love is a sin_

_思い知らせ 俺の愛惜を_

_But I cannot stand to be apart from my love_

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

"Hey! Check it out, we're on camera!"

Kyouko quickly sidestepped, barely avoided having her feet trampled by a group of frantic teenage girls. She glanced about and found the camera mounted on the rigging that spanned the perimeter of the ceiling.

"Oh. My. God." one girl breathed out, a hand over her mouth, another over her heart, "his voice is simply ear-gasmic..." Kyouko noted the lilt in the groupie's voice, her platitude honed from being breathed and screamed a hundred or more times.

"Eh? Wait... W-what's happening?" The girl nearest Kyouko stood on her toes and peered over her friend's shoulder.

"Fuwa Shou's getting off the stage... and he's walking over HERE!"

This, of course, prompted another round of squealing that grated on Kyouko's ears. The thing was she almost screamed along with them, but for an entirely different reason all together.

Here she was, trying to keep a low profile, and the damned idiot just had to ruin everything by coming straight for her! Her initial response was to hide and lose herself in the crowd. She had always taken refuge in her anonymity outside her roles. Ironically, there were times she had to act her way out of such situations by pretending to be someone else.

But a camera projecting her profile onscreen for everyone to scrutinize dashed any possibility of escape at this point. It did not help at all that people were starting to recognize her. "Isn't that Kyouko?" "You're right! It is her!" "Kyouko's here? Where?" "She's somewhere in the crowd upfront!"

The other girl on her left looked closely at her face, so close that her fake lashes brushed against her own cheek when she blinked. "I can't BELIEVE it! It really IS you!" Her group of friends were fast to catch-up and Kyouko found herself blockaded in a matter of seconds.

"Can I have your autograph?" "My boyfriend and I are huge fans of yours!" "I love you as Natsu in BOX-R!"

"Are you really going out with Fuwa Shou?"

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

_叫んでみたこの声は貧弱だけど_

_I cried out with my weak voice_

_どれほど声をあげても 君に届きはしないだろう_

_No matter how loudly I yell, it probably won't reach you_

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

He saw Kyouko open her mouth to deny it, but he chose that opportune moment to appear at her side and answer the question for her: "No. I'm afraid she's not." Then he held out his hand; daring her to refuse him despite the heavy anticipation hanging in the air. In the end, she had no choice but to take the escape he offered.

He led her to the relative safety of the stage with the security team clearing a path ahead of them. The PV started playing on the screens the moment they reached the stage, garnering a round of applause from the crowd.

The Prince has finally came for his Princess... but reality could not have been further the truth. Shou gazed at Kyouko and wondered how to go about being a Prince for a Princess who has stopped believing in fairy tales. There had been too many hurtful words between them - his promises were nothing more than trivial to her. Yet, by some weird workings of a deity he has yet to offend, here she was - standing beside him, her warm hand in his clammy grasp and softly humming the chorus under her breath. Shou was never more honest than when he was singing, and it gave him hope that Kyouko was still listening whenever he sang.

On the eve of his 20th birthday, in front of more than 2000 people, Fuwa Shou sang a love song for Mogami Kyouko.

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

_嗚呼、いつの間にか夜が明ける 時間よ止まれ_

_Before I knew it, the dawn breaks. I wish for time to stop._

_気持ちが伝えられなくて_

_These feelings can never be conveyed to you_

_どうしたら どうすれば_

_What went wrong? What should I do?_

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

Kyouko cupped her hands under the tap and splashed her face, the water cooling her flushed cheeks. She stared at her reflection, trying to figure out how she ended up in this situation.

The media was going to have a field day over this one - she was almost dreading the explaining she had to do on Monday to Sawara-san. And then there was Shou...

She sighed, ripping out a paper towel from the dispenser and patted her face dry.

"There you are, Kyouko-chan!"

She turned around to find Shou's beautiful manager smiling at her. "Good evening, Aki-san."

"C'mon, you can take a ride with me and Shou to the party."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not going, Aki-san."

"W-what?" Shouko practically blurted out, "WHY?"

_Because he's asking for things that I can't give and I'm afraid of his answers to questions that I dare not ask._

_Because... because... because..._

In the end, Kyouko didn't bother with an explanation; she simply picked up the gift-wrapped box from the counter and held it out for the older woman to take. "Please tell Shou 'Happy birthday' for me."

Shouko could only stand there, clutching the package, as Kyouko walked past her. She would have gone after the actress if she thought there was a chance of convincing her; the look in the girl's amber eyes told her otherwise. She listlessly made her way back to the dressing room bringing Kyouko's gift. She gave a perfunctory knock, turned the knob and stepped into the room to find Shou briskly toweling his hair dry. He was fresh from his shower and had obviously just threw on a pair of distressed jeans, zipped it up, but left the top button undone.

"I wonder what Kyouko would've thought if she walked in on you looking like this?"

"Two years ago, she would've blushed, averted her eyes and excused herself," he replied, tenderly smiling at the memory. Then his smile tuned wry as he continued, "Nowadays, she would've probably thrown a shirt at my face and told me to stop embarrassing myself."

"I think-" Shouko stopped to consider her words carefully as she watched him pull on maroon shirt and tucked it into his pants, "I think I like Kyouko much better the way she is now."

"Yeah. Me, too," he admitted softly, slinging the damp towel he was using to dry his hair over his neck. "Where is she? Is she waiting outside?" he asked, his gaze trained at the closed door.

"I'm sorry, Shou, but she said she's not going," she apologized, holding out the glossy green package. "She asked me to give you this instead and wish you a 'happy birthday',"

Shou wordlessly tore off the wrapping and opened the box. He found twenty handmade choco-custard flavored Mapollo chocolates neatly lined up in rows of four. He gave it a '+1' for being handmade and a '-1' for being edible - hence, sentimentality points equals zero.

"Dammit!" he cursed succinctly as he flicked the used towel at the chair and shrugged into a leather jacket. "I swear, that woman is going to be the death of me."

He stuffed the box in one of the inner pockets before grabbing his helmet and keys from the table. "Tell them- just tell them that I'll be- Argh! To hell with it!"

Shouko flinched as the door slammed in his wake.

"Well, can't say I didn't see that happening," she muttered as she took out her phone and called Haruki.

"Hello."

"Hey, Haruki!" Shouko greeted with forced gaiety, "Guess what? Shou just ditched his own party to run after Kyouko-chan."

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

_手も届かない 君が見えるよ_

_My hand cannot reach you; I can only watch_

_だから_

_However_

_君を守るよ これは戦争_

_I will protect you - this is war -_

_手段なんて選ぶ暇は無い_

_By any means necessary. There is no more time to spare._

_この愛の差を見せ付ける為_

_For the sake of this love, I will show you..._

_君を守り抜いてみせるのさ_

_that I will protect you until the end_

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

Kyouko swiped her key card through the reader and turned the knob. She already had one foot over the threshold when a heavy hand suddenly clamped down on her shoulder, keeping her in place.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

She jerked in surprise, almost tripping over her own feet when she quickly turned around to face him, "Shou? W-what are you doing here?"

"I think you just stole my line." He leaned against the door frame, smirking down at her.

She glared at him, suspicion coloring her tone, "I just moved in today, how the hell did you know where I live?"

"I'm not a stalker, okay?" he blurted out defensively. "It was YOU who suddenly up and left, just like that! And with that weird message you told Shouko - of course, I'd be worried!"

"So, basically, you decided to follow me here instead."

"Well, yeah," he shrugged. "Luckily, I saw you hailing a cab. If it was the train, I don't think I would've been able to follow you on my bike."

_'That's still stalking, Baka-Shou.' _Kyouko bit back the accusation and tried to reason with him instead. "Look, Shou. It's been a long day and-"

"Hey, pretty big place you've got here," he cut-in smoothly and breezed past her, inviting himself to her new apartment.

"W-wait!" She made a grab for his sleeve, effectively stopping him from going any further than the threshold. "What the hell are you thinking, barging into my flat?"

The idiot had the grace to look at her as if she was the unreasonable one. "You don't expect us to conduct a decent conversation in the hallway now, do you?"

"No, I don't expect to be having this conversation at all." She tugged on his arm, directing him towards the door, "Go home. Or better yet, go back to your party. I'm sure Shouko-san would probably be worried by now."

"You're so cruel, Kyouko! To turn me out there, in the cold, and on my birthday, too!"

"Spring is almost ending, you moron," she said, before slamming the door in his face.

Or she tried to, that is - unfortunately, Shou was getting pretty damn good at stopping the door with his big dumb foot. Then, the shit got real when the idiot started singing at the top of his lungs - in English.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEEEEEEEEE~!"

"You idiot!" Kyouko pulled him right back in and slammed the door shut. "It took me three months to find this place and you're going to get me evicted by tomorrow morning!"

"Nah, I don't think anyone would've heard me, unless they were in the hallway," he said, brushing off her concern.

The living room was bare except for several boxes stacked at the corner, a coffee-colored couch and a mattress, still in plastic wrap, leaning against the wall. The place was just slightly bigger than their old flat and it only had one bedroom, as well.

"Like I said, I just moved in today. The rest of the furniture would be delivered tomorrow."

"Is it too much to ask if you happen to have some tea on hand to go with this?" Shou asked as he held up the cake box he was carrying which she completely failed to notice earlier.

She motioned for him to take a seat at one of the high chairs that lined the counter. "Luckily, we managed to stock the pantry and the fridge this morning."

He easily surmised that Kyouko probably decided to get the apartment the moment she saw the kitchen layout. The countertop that separated the kitchen from the living area also doubled as a table. She whipped out a couple of plates and forks from the cabinet on her side and set them down in front of him. He thought of offering to make tea, but she already had a pot on the lit stove, even before he could open his mouth. Kyouko was scarily efficient, especially in the kitchen.

"I only have black tea," she said, measuring the tea leaves into the warm cups.

"That's fine." He gingerly took the cake out of the box and sliced each of them a portion with the plastic knife he found inside, taking care to scrape and add extra chocolate frosting to her slice.

She came back to the counter with their tea and a lighter. She took a candle - the red one - from the packet and stuck it into his cake.

"Geh, I'm too old for this. Besides I already sang myself the birthday song."

Kyouko simply ignored him and lit the candle anyway, which of course prompted him to make a wish and blow it out before he ended up with red wax on his cake.

"You're never too old for wishes," she said earnestly , pinning him with her amber gaze, "What are you doing here, Shou? What were you thinking ditching your own party?"

"What's there to miss? I've had mostly strangers for guests in the past two years." He bit down a forkful of cake and washed it down with scalding hot tea. "I just wanted to celebrate it this year with you."

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

_終撃用意_

_Prepare for the final attack_

_戦況は未だ終わりがない_

_This battle has yet to end_

_愛は戦争_

_Love is war_

_この歌が君に届くまでは_

_I'll continue till this song reaches you_

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

"Isn't it about time for you to go home?"

He glanced at his watch. "I still have an hour before my birthday day ends," he replied, settling back comfortably on his chair. "Aren't you curious about what I wished for?"

She sent him a skeptic look over her shoulder while placing the plates on the dish rack to dry. "I try not to be."

"Remember what we used to ask each other after our birthdays?"

"What's with this impromptu trip down memory lane?"

"Can you blame me?" He placed his birthday gift on the counter, took a chocolate from the box and popped it into him mouth. "I haven't had these since middle school and they're way better than I remembered. Want some?" he offered.

She shook her head but the corner of her lips lifted slightly, "No, thanks."

"Well, do you remember?" he prompted again and ate another piece as she took a seat across from him.

Her brows furrowed deeply in thought. "I think it's... 'If there was anything you could say to yourself a year ago, what would it be?' - or something like that."

"Yeah, I think that's it. Since we haven't played it for the past two years, let's do it a little differently this time."

"Huh?" She suddenly straightened in her seat, totally blind-sided by his suggestion. "What?"

"If you - " he said, pointing at Kyouko "- had anything to say to the me -" placing a hand on his chest "- from two years ago, what would it be?"

Shou watched her tuck her chin against her palm and absently tap her fingers on the counter. Kyouko made such a delightful picture that he had to restrain the urge to lean across the counter and brush a kiss on her forehead.

"I-I don't know... I mean, what's there to change?" she asked, her smile bittersweet, "Besides, I doubt the you back then would want to listen to anything that I have to say."

"Aren't you even going to warn me that I would someday regret losing you?" he asked, almost half-jokingly.

She laughed, as if the thought itself was simply absurd. "I never thought I'd be someone you'd regret losing."

"You know, my birthday wish was for a chance to go back two years ago - this is the closest I thing I could manage..."

Her mirth slowly dissipated, only to be replaced by anxiety, "And what was it that you would have wanted to tell me, back then?" Her lidded eyes were fluttering fully open as he reached for her.

His hand anchored against the back of her neck, gently bringing her forward as he leaned across the countertop. "What I did to you is not worthy of forgiveness," he whispered, tenderly touching his forehead to hers, "but, please, don't give up on me, yet."

* * *

A/N: Getting this chapter posted today is just awesome. Happy April Fool's everyone (who's sitting on my side of the world at least)!

Make sure you pwn someone today. ;p


	9. Chapter 9

Skip Beat! is by Nakamura Yoshiki

Fuwa Shotarou was made to suffer for the duration of this fanfic because it's just like karma kicking him in the a$$. (o. 0)v

* * *

"Ne, Shouko..."

"Don't look at me," Aki Shouko crossed her arms defensively over her chest and met her friend's worried look, "I know just about as much as you do, Haruki."

"Well, least he's not doing his 'Angyo' or 'Ungyo' impersonation," the bespectacled woman nodded at Shou who was currently fiddling with the mixer in the recording booth. "That's a good sign... right?"

"I-I think so."

"Ohayou," He greeted as the he exited the booth, making his way to join them at the breakout table where they usually hold their small meetings.

"Coffee?" his manager offered, placing the carrier with three steaming cups on the table along with a bag of sandwiches.

"Thanks," Shou pulled up a chair and stirred in a packet of sugar into his coffee. He was just about to take a sip when he noticed both women were eyeing him rather intensely, "What?"

"So, uh, about Saturday night," Shouko started tentatively, "did you manage to talk with-"

"Is that the tour schedule?" He suddenly asked, causing both women to jump in surprise as he reached out to extract a sheet of paper from the clipboard across him.

The list indicated the date, place, timing and contact info for each event. The tour would span 5 months, averaging at around 10 lives per month. Roughly a total of 50 performances all over Japan. He checked the bottom of the list and noted that he would only be back in Tokyo at earliest by November. But before then...

"Asami-san, any chance we could swing by Kyoto during the tour?"

"Eh? But I thought you specifically did NOT want to set foot on Kyoto." Shouko pointed out, knowing full well that Shou avoided his hometown like the plague for fear of his past being discovered.

"I changed my mind." Shou frowned as he stared unseeingly at the list in his hand, "There's something I need to do."

Haruki pushed her glasses up her nose before conceding, "I'll see what I can do."

He looked up, flashing her a relieved smile, "Thanks, Asami-san."

"Now, let's discuss the set list," his producer was suddenly all business as she passed him a couple of papers, "Shou, we'd be needing at least three list with 10 to 12 songs..."

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

Half a day's worth at an attempt to write one complete song produced five different compositions in varying stages of (in)completion. It was only when he ran out of sheet music that Shou finally decided that it was time to take a break.

He placed his guitar on its rack and settled back on the couch. The remains of his half-finished lunch, which he had had delivered an hour ago, littered the coffee table. Not a lot of people drop by the in the afternoon, which was why he could afford to do his writing at around this time. And since his manager was busy preparing the itinerary for the up-coming tour, he had the lounge all to himself. He shifted against the cushions until he was lying comfortably on his back, throwing an arm over his eyes to block the light. Surely he could afford to rest... a nap would be nice... even for just... a short while...

_She is crying again. Crying and running away because she dare not let him see. _

_"I never cried in front of you again. Because I didn't want to make things difficult for you."_

_But he is chasing after her this time. Because that's what he was supposed to do - what he should have done._

_The child-Kyouko trips on something, a rock or a fallen branch - he's not sure, but he sees her falling gracelessly (painfully) on her side. He rushes to her aid as fast as his small legs can carry him._

_"Kyouko!" _

_He does not ask if she is hurt, because that would be just stupid. But he cannot help wince at the sight of the gashes along her shins and her bleeding knees. _

_"Give me your hanky," he orders, knowing that she always carries one. She glances down at her skirt pocket and he quickly fishes out her handkerchief. He gingerly wipes off bits of dirt from her wounds, she looks away and bites her bottom lip to keep from crying out. _

_Glaring at the still-dirty wound, he thinks of spitting into her hanky to dampen it a bit, only to stop at the sound of her trembling voice. "Shou-chan, there's a stream over there."_

_And sure enough, a bubbling stream borders the clearing just a few feet away. He hurries off and dips the cloth into the cool water. He comes back to find her valiantly sniffling back tears and wiping her nose with the back of her hand. _

_"Baka," He mutters, crouching down beside her, not quite sure if he is referring to her... or himself. _

_He cleans her face, taking care to rub away the dried tears and dirt tracks on her cheeks. Folding the handkerchief, he begins to clean her wounds, lightly wiping off the dust and then the blood. _

_"Why?" she asks, harshly. "You never bothered before? So, why start now?" _

_He looks up to find 17-year-old Kyouko, glaring at him with anger and distrust shimmering in her amber eyes. _

_"Because I want to be here," he says with the confidence of the years behind him, reaching out to brush away the moisture that escapes her lashes. "Even if just for the sake of drying your tears. I'm here for you."_

_"You expect me to believe that?" she shakes her head and laughs, a tired self-deprecating sound that tears at his heart. "What kind of fool do you take me for?"_

_"Don't give up on me," he pleads, cradling her face between his hands, forcing her to meet his gaze, "Someday, I'll prove myself worthy of-"_

"_Don't," Kyouko says firmly, stopping his words with the light touch of her fingertips against his lips, "Don't put yourself through this, Shoutaro. We're just not meant to be."_

_Everything in him screams in denial. He wants to rage, shout and destroy every argument she have and could ever possibly think up for not being with him. _

_He brushes her hand away and captures her lips in a desperate kiss, his fingers digging into the gossamer weave of her hair to keep her in place. He kisses her - hot, open mouthed kisses, that sought to cure her and himself of her fears and his own anxieties. _

_"A chance, Kyouko." he panted against her soft lips "That's all I'm asking." _

He gasped as he awoke to a sharp stinging pain against his cheek. His hand flew to his face as he blinked at the sight of Mimori leaning over him, angry tears trailing down her face. His lips were bruised and he could still taste her strawberry lip gloss.

"Why, Shou-chan?" she bawled, her fists pounding at his chest, "Why can't it be me?"

The past him would have simply charmed her off her feet and kissed away her tears. But he cannot afford to indulge in such casual dalliances anymore.

"I'm sorry, Mimori," he sighed, a belated apology even as he broke her heart, "But I only want Kyouko."

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

It was a Tuesday night and the LoveMe girls were having their first ever official sleepover to celebrate Kyouko moving into her new apartment.

The original plan for Sunday got moved since everyone had an early call time on Monday morning. The logical thing to do was set the schedule for the next weekend, but Kanae was very adamant about not wanting to wait that long. Hence, they all agreed on Tuesday night considering that everyone, coincidentally, have a late start on their Wednesday schedule.

They all came straight to her place from LME, taking a short detour at a supermarket on the way to buy ingredients for dinner. Kyouko was more than happy to cook for her friends. Between the three of them, they had dinner prepared on the living room table in record time. They were tucking into their meal while watching the news when the entertainment segment kicked in with a special feature:

"Fuwa Shou's concert at Zepp Tokyo proved to be an amazing success. The rock star kicked-off his first nationwide tour with his 20th birthday concert last Saturday. The biggest surprise happened during the encore; Shou went into the front row crowd and bowled everyone over when he came back on-stage with Kyouko in tow!"

The scene changed to a footage from the live concert coverage. She could barely make herself out from the crowd and was riveted on his expression as he cuts through the crowd to reach her side.

_"Are you really going out with Fuwa Shou?"_

_"No. I'm afraid she's not."_

Kyouko lowered her chopsticks and rice bowl on the table and watched. Throughout the song, there were times he would smile down at her with a tender kind of sadness - one that she completely missed that night... or did she?

The female host could not help but smile at the dialogue in the clip, "It was Fuwa-san himself who denied such rumors of him and Kyouko dating. But from the looks of things, it was not because of any lack of trying from his part."

"That's what you were talking about with Sawara-san on Monday?" Kanae asked, gesturing at the TV with a nod of her head.

"Well, it's not as if you knew Fuwa was going to pick you out of a crowd of hundreds, right?" Chiori said, before sipping her miso soup.

Kyouko, needing to do something, started pouring tea for them, "Still, I feel guilty for causing Sawara-san an inconvenience that could have been avoided."

"C'mon, it's not that big a deal," Kanae pointed out as she deftly picked the fishbones off her mackerel, "They're just going to see it as a marketing strategy to hype up the romance aspect of the video."

"It's working pretty well, that's for sure," Chiori dipped a piece of fish meat into the sauce and sighed the moment the flavor hits her tongue, "Kami, I've never had mackerel this good!"

"You were saying?" Kanae prompted.

"Remember Maruyama-san?" Chiori asked Kyouko, then turned to Kanae to elaborate, "She worked with us in Box-R. She and I were hanging around Tower Records last week where we managed to see the PV. The first thing she asked me, after seeing the video, was if Kyouko was in love with Fuwa Shou."

"WHAAAT?" Kyouko and Kanae chorused.

"Don't worry, I managed to set the record straight and told her she got it backwards." Chiori waved her chopsticks, towards the general direction of the TV, "I mean, it's so damn obvious, in that concert footage. Anyone with half a brain could see that he's the one in love with Kyouko-senpai."

"WHAAAT?"

This time, Kanae was doing a solo. SHE was obviously lacking the requisite half of her brain since she missed it completely. She whipped her head to turn and glare at Kyouko, "When the fuck did this happen?"

Chiori flinched. Kanae rarely cursed, but when she did, it was comparable to being hit with a bokken upside the head.

Kyouko opened her mouth, only to close it again, a feeling of trepidation welling in her chest. In the past few months, it felt like as if she had been trying NOT to see the clues that hinted at Shoutarou's feelings for her. It was all there in plain sight, if only she cared to look. Only problem was, she didn't WANT to see.

"I-I'm not really sure..." Kyouko croaked, her throat suddenly going dry as she replayed every significant event in her recollection that had anything to do with Shou recently.

"Well, the way I see it, it's not your problem until he says it clearly," Chiori's brusquely lectured, "Until you hear a confession from that guy, his vague affections are as good as writings on water."

"A confession. That's not gonna happen," Kyouko snorted as she picked up her chopsticks to resume her meal, "Shou's an idiot. But he's not THAT stupid."

Later that night, as the three of them were lying side by side on the futon they laid out in the living room, Kanae turned on her side to find Kyouko staring at the ceiling.

"Something happened on Saturday night," she whispered under her breath.

It was a statement, not a query. An open invitation that her friend could chose to ignore or take.

Kyouko gave an almost imperceptible nod of her head.

That was all the response she needed - Kanae reached out and held Kyouko's cold hand in her warm grasp. Some things were better left unsaid. And some things you needed to say out loud for someone to hear, but not judge. Like a wound that needed to bleed out for it to heal cleanly. Completely.

"He asked me to not give up on him. To wait. Because someday he would be worthy of me."

"And what did you tell him?"

"That I can't." Kyouko turned to face her with a bittersweet smile, but her eyes were clear and free of tears, "Because we weren't meant to be."

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

"Kyouko's latest photo spread on Vogue Japan is making a huge wave throughout Tokyo."

"The theme 'Facets' was conceptualized to capture all of Kyouko's memorable characters, and apparently new ones she would be portraying as well. Both local and international fashion brands were more than happy to sponsor the 10-page photo collection that featured the young actress modeling their merchandise."

The male host laughed, "I'm guilty of buying my first copy of this magazine just because of those 10 pages."

"Let me show you my favorite," his co-host flipped through her copy and unfolded the centerfold.

It was a top view shot of a couple lying at the bottom curve of an impressive marble staircase. Kyouko dressed in a rose-colored ball gown, with diamonds at her throat, flowers askew in her hair and a languid look in her amber eyes as she stared at the blond stranger pinning her against the steps. The man's dark tailored suit was a stark contrast against her own image. He was leaning over her, one hand cradling her head, his fingers delving into her russet tresses, the other lightly tracing the contours of her bottom lip.

Kyouko felt herself blush up to the roots of her hair and remembered a similar scene on someone's kitchen floor years ago.

"What a coincidence. That happens to be my favorite, too," a deep voice declared smoothly, before a paper bag was deposited on the coffee table in front of her.

She felt the cushion beside her dip before her senses were assaulted by fresh mint and aftershave. A sleeved arm draped along her slight shoulders, it took little to no prompting for her to cuddle up to the lean body next to her, much to the delight of the newcomer who rewarded her with a chaste peck on her forehead.

"I came across Kanae-san and Chiori-san at the elevator on my way up."

"Did you say 'hi'?" she asked teasingly.

"I almost did!" he chuckled good-naturely, "Good thing I saw myself in the elevator panel and just barely managed to avoid getting into trouble."

She lifted a hand to brush back a golden lock that fell over his clear eyes. "I never thought I'd see you looking like this so soon, considering we're back in Japan."

"Neither did I," he shrugged, pulling her closer to sit on his lap, "But mother was quite adamant that she didn't want sightings of 'Tsuruga Ren' carrying shopping bags for some gorgeous American model all over Tokyo."

She burst out laughing at the droll way he said that, only to stop short when she remembered something, "Have you had lunch yet, Ren? I made some curry and-"

"Kyouko," he silenced her by the simple act of placing a finger against her lips, "'Tsuruga Ren' is not the one sitting on this sofa with his lovely girlfriend on his lap at the moment."

She could definitely feel the tip of her ears burning as she cleared her throat and tried again, "Would you like to have some curry for lunch, Kuon?"

"Yeah. That would be nice."

* * *

A/N:

This was one hard chapter to write - I realized I wrote myself into a deadlock after posting ch08. I think ch09 just wrote itself out half-way though. This was a by-product of boredom and being pumped with anti-virus for 4 days straight - Yes, I blame the drugs and chicken pox. Checking the dates, this would be the fastest update I've done for this story (we're counting days here instead of months).

At this point, I would like to thank the die hard RenxKyouko fans who bothered to read this ShouxKyouko story. That last scene was bound to be tackled sooner or later, and with 3 chapters to go - I said, "Oh why not write it out NOW."

That being said, thanks again for reading.


	10. Chapter 10

Skip Beat! is by Nakamura Yoshiki

* * *

The sliding windows of his mother's study were drawn back, giving him a picturesque view of the lake. Locals and tourists alike strolled along the water's edge underneath a canopy of red maple leaves. There were also couples who rented boats and opted to spend the afternoon leisurely paddling in the lake.

The place hardly seem to have changed from how it was three years ago. It was oddly comforting but somewhat deeply disturbing at the same time.

"You look well, Okasan. The ryokan seems to be doing good."

"It could be better, though," she quipped, serving him tea before taking her seat across the low table. "I'm not as young as I used to be, after all."

"I'm sorry it had taken this long for me to visit," Shou apologized. "I just didn't know how to face you after everything that has happened."

Excuses were easy - there was always tomorrow, next week or even next month. Before he knew it, years had gone by without him even calling home. And here he was, desperately building the same bridges he burned when he ran away to Tokyo.

"I only need to watch the television to know what you've been doing. Besides, Kyouko calls often enough to keep us informed."

Shou suspected as much. Even after their falling out, Kyouko probably still called her, if only for the sake of staying connected to the people back home.

She took a sip from her cup and continued in a ponderous tone, "To think that I had planned to have Kyouko start managing the ryokan by this time... looks like Fate has grander destinies for both of you."

"I had to leave, 'kasan," he explained, pleading for her understanding. "I needed to live out my own dreams. And I could not do it here in Kyoto."

"Yes," she gracefully conceeded, "Your father and I realize that now. You've done quite well for yourself, Shoutarou."

It was as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders and he could not help but smile in relief. "Arigatou, 'kasan. That means a lot to me." He took a sip of his drink, savoring the soothing warmth and slightly bitter flavor of the black tea.

"By the way, how is Kyouko? She sent me a DVD of your last concert in Tokyo to watch. It was the first time I saw her onstage with you in one of your concerts."

He suddenly straightened up, his brows snapping to attention, "S-she did?"

"Of course - she's been sending us copies of your CDs and DVDs for the past two years."

Shock rendered him speechless for a moment, completely stymied by the fact that Kyouko would do so much - upon closer inspection, he realized that the music collection that lined the shelf were all his. _Why would Kyouko do this for me? Why would she-?_

"Shoutarou."

He glanced at his mother and noticed the tight set of her shoulders. _Of course... it made perfect sense: Kyouko would never do this for me - she did it for Okasan. She would lie and make it look as if the wayward son still cared, if only to set my mother's mind at ease._

"What's going on between you and Kyouko? Is everything all right?"

"Nothing. Nothing is going on between us." He laughed hollowly, placing his cup on the table. "Despite my best efforts to have ANYTHING to do with her, our last meeting was nothing short of a complete failure."

She was quiet for the longest time before she started clearing the table, placing the earthen cups back on the lacquered tray along with the pot of lukewarm tea. With tray in hand, she stood and opened the shoji to place the tray in the hallway for the passing servant to take away later. He watched as she made her way towards the cupboard and came back with a _tokkuri_ of high grade sake and a pair of _ochoko_. His eyebrows shot into his hairline as his mother gracefully poured the clear alcoholic liquid into the cups and placed one in front of him.

"Drink," she commanded in a tone that booked no argument, placing her hands demurely on her lap. "I think you better start from the beginning."

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's a long story."

She gave the bottle a pointed look before pinning him down with her no-nonsense stare. "We have time."

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

"I think ditching the gig at Nara in favor of Kyoto was the best idea ever." Haruki inhaled deeply, enjoying the fresh mountain breeze as she surveyed the breathtaking view outside their window. The leaves of the maple trees had started to change hue and the valley was ablaze in autumn colors of yellow, orange and red.

"We wouldn't be here if it weren't for you." Shouko smiled as she started to refill their tea cups. "I'm amazed you actually convinced the higher-ups to agree. They even picked Kyoto Concert hall for the concert venue."

"I hardly did any work, I just happened to know the right people to prod," Haruki waved off her friend's praise as she surveyed the beautifully prepared sweets on the low table. "Besides, it was Shou who got us a reservation in this place, and at such short notice, too."

"Oh, speaking of Shou - he said he might not join us until tomorrow," Shouko absently remarked as she helped herself to a serving of _ohagi_. "He's probably catching up with his family."

"That's understandable," Haruki said, recalling the beautiful kimono-clad woman who welcomed them at the ryokan. "Who would've thought that the Okami was his mother?"

"I'm starting to believe that bathing in Kyoto's hot springs really do make you look younger." Shouko sipped her tea and sighed, only to perk up again. "Hey, want to try the hot springs later?"

"Definitely! I want to try bathing at the _roten-buro _overlooking the valley and enjoy the view with some sake." Haruki reached for the pamphlet and checked the hours for the baths. "Do we need to book a slot in advance?"

"I think it would be best to do so, especially if we want to have a measure of privacy." Shouko explained, "The _roten-buro_ they have here is a shared bath, so they have to do it in shifts."

Haruki shrugged, "I don't mind flashing a bit of skin at some random stranger in the bath. Besides, it's not like there's a chance I'm going to end up meeting them again back in Tokyo."

Shouko shook her head and laughed. "You know, my last hot spring companion had the exact same sentiment as you do."

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

"Kyouko."

She heard her name and felt a strand of hair being tucked behind her ear. The light touch traced her earlobe, making her shiver; it trailed along her jaw and caressed her cheek.

"Wake-up, sleepyhead, we're here."

"Hmmm?" Kyouko pried one eye open to find him smiling down at her. "Ugh, too... bright," she mumbled, not exactly sure if she was refering to his smile or the sunlight filtering through his blond hair. She groaned heartily, rubbing the sleep away from her eyes as she stretched to get the kinks out of her back. Sitting down for three hours straight was starting to take its toll on her lower back.

They took the Hikari Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto; from the station, they rented a car and drove the rest of the way. Almost half the day was spent on travelling alone - it was a good thing they decided to take the early train out and managed to arrive just a little after noon.

"You hungry?" she asked Kuon as he hauled their bags from the backseat. "I called them half an hour ago - they said they'll be ready to serve us lunch in our room once we arrive."

"A little," he replied, shouldering her bag. "We only had a couple of sandwiches and tea on the train for breakfast after all."

"Could you hand me my bag -" she got up from her seat, closed the side door, and held out her hand for her luggage "- Please?"

"I could -but I won't," Kuon replied cheekily. He summarily ignored her protests by picking up his own duffel bag and planting a swift kiss at her soft pout.

"C'mon," he says, grinning at her blushing cheeks as he reached for her hand, "let's just hope they don't serve us that creepy half-alive sushi monstrosity for lunch."

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

Shou spent the next hour recounting his three years in Tokyo over a bottle of his father's best sake. If his old man had been home and not visiting the ryokan in Kyushuu this weekend, he would have been the one sitting here listening to him rant, instead of his mother.

_Better her than him_, he thought, he could definitely use his mother's level-headedness instead of his old man's drunken wisdom. To her credit, she never interrupted his monologue to berate him for his actions or decisions. She simply listened and poured him sake, cup after cup, until he finished his story.

"I got what I wanted. But I somehow lost her along the way." He tossed back his drink and winced as the alcohol burned a trail down his throat and settled in his gut. "I tried to get her back, but she just couldn't be bothered to care anymore."

Silence settled over them, Shou anxiously waited for his mother to say something - hell, anything - to alleviate the tension.

"These past few years made me realize that I could handle you leaving us. You said so yourself: running a ryokan is a woman's job," she confessed in a quiet voice. "So, why did you have take Kyouko as well?"

It was not so much as hearing her sentiment as the carefully-veiled resentment in her tone that gave him a shock. Kyouko was the daughter his mother had always wanted. She flourished under his mother's attention and found a purpose, even if only to gain his parents' approval. After years of being under his family's care, it was no big surprise that his mother planned to have them ryokan was his mother family's legacy, after all; it only made sense that she would train the next Okami, who was to be his wife.

All at once, everything fell into place and he was struck by the full implication of his actions. It had never occured to him that by running away with Kyouko, he unknowingly stole his mother's hope for the future of the ryokan, as well.

"Because I was selfish and stupid," he declared, his hold tightening to a white-knuckled grip on his cup, "and because she's the only one who sincerely believed that I could make it out there."

"Yet you threw her away the moment she became a problem for you. The least you could have done was send her home instead." She lifted her gaze and squarely met his, her voice soft but her eyes were heavy with disappointment. "I admit that you were a spoiled child, but I thought that I raised you to be a better man than that, Shoutarou."

Shou flinched as if he was struck, his face burning in shame. "I'm sorry if I failed to measure up to your expectations -" he took a deep breath, trying to get his emotions under control "- but I would not apologize for something I could not bring myself to regret; not when it gave her freedom to find herself."

She regarded him curiously and asked, "Even at the price of a broken heart and her hatred?"

"It's not as if I planned for that to happen," he said, for the first time, realizing the inevitability of it all. "With the way we were back then, I was bound to break her heart, sooner or later."

Kyouko had never demanded or expected anything from him. In that sense, her affection soon became stifling in its own unconditionality. It was just too damn easy to be selfish, to take what was being offered and ultimately fool himself into thinking that he owed her nothing.

"Kyouko couldn't have hated me the way she did, if she never loved me in the first place," he concluded in a fairly neutral tone.

She seemed to consider his words carefully before voicing her thoughts: "Have you ever considered that maybe she'd be happier with someone else?"

Her question had him completely and utterly floored - his voice seemed to have been stuck somewhere between his chest and his throat. He snapped his mouth shut, jaw clenching in frustration. He sat there, staring blankly at the surface of the cherrywood table, until the sound of muted footfalls indicated the presence of someone standing in the hallway.

"Okami-sama?"

"What is it, Akemi?"

"Your expected guests have just arrived."

"I'll be out in a minute, please make sure to serve them refreshments."

He watched as she gracefully stood-up, smoothing away the wrinkles from her favorite autumn kimono.

"Should I expect to see you at dinner later tonight?" she asked. It was her way of subtly ending the conversation.

Shou sighed in defeat. "Yes, Okasan."

He could clearly see the relief in her eyes as she nodded, "Good. I'll have them prepare dinner by seven."

"I'll be here."

She slid the door open and paused for a moment, sending him a warm glance over her shoulder. "Welcome back, Shoutarou."

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

"That was... interesting," Kuon declared.

Kyouko paused from her task to glance at the man lying spread-eagle on the tatami mat behind her. "What do you mean 'interesting'?"

He grunted as he turned on his side to face her, tucking his arm under his head. "After all this time, I finally figured out from whom you got that impeccable posture of yours."

Kyouko's spine straightened in reflex even as a slight frown pulled at her brow. He grinned at the picture she made. She was simply sitting on the floor, unpacking their clothes with the same grace one would expect from someone who was performing a tea ceremony.

"Okami-san likes you." She stood up with a couple of his shirts, unfolding one with a flick of her wrists before draping it on a hanger.

"That's saying a lot. Considering how shocked she looked when she found out that 'Tsuruga Ren' was a gaijin."

Kyouko simply rolled her eyes at his comment and turned back to focus on her chore. "I think she was more surprised to find out that she actually knew your family. I remember Kuu-otousan mentioning that he hailed from Kyoto. I just didn't realize that he was actually from THIS part of Kyoto."

"Yeah. Small world, isn't it?" he spoke next to her ear, unintentionally startling her into dropping the dress that she was holding. He caught the yellow sundress as it fluttered to the floor and made short work of hanging it next to his shirts. "There - all done," he declared, slipping his arms around her waist, while resting his chin atop her head.

A warm feeling blossomed in his chest at the sight of her clothes hanging next to his in that closet. He never knew that something so simple could evoke such happiness. He brought his face next to her cheek, nuzzling his nose against her hair that smelled enticingly of peach blossoms.

"So, what do you want to do now?" she asked.

He chuckled darkly and deferred answering her in favor of tracing her jawline with soft kisses. Only Kyouko could ask that in such an innocent tone, given the highly provocative situation they were in. If that was the best she could come up with to distract him, she was doing a very bad job. While Tsuruga Ren would have held himself back, Kuon had no compunction whatsoever.

"I have a few suggestions -" he flicked his tongue at her earlobe and smirked at the goosebumps that spread along her neck "- all of which require your full cooperation."

Kyouko felt his hands on her shoulders, coaxing her to face him. She glimpsed his smoldering gaze as he lowered his head. Her skin tingled in anticipation for what would happen next. Light-headed and giddy, she closed her eyes and tilted her face obligingly.

"Kiss me," he breathed against her lips.

Her lashes fluttered open in shock at his demand, her breath caught in her throat at the blatant need painted across his face. She felt one of his large hands smooth down her back to settle at her hip, his thumb teasing the exposed skin of her waist just above her jeans. Her eyes were inexorably drawn to his mouth. Reaching out, she traced the firm line of his upper lip with her fingertips.

It was her first time initiating something like this. She had been content to follow Kuon's pace and he usually stopped before things got too heavy. But this - this was different. He was giving her free rein over what happened next.

Kyouko stood on tiptoe and firmly pressed a close-mouthed kiss on his lips. When she failed to elicit a response, she reached up with one hand and guided his head down to hers. She softly parted her lips, trailing her tongue against the seam of his closed lips, silently begging for his response.

Kuon felt his resolve crumble like ashes. His hand tightened at her hip as he slanted his lips over her own, swallowing her gasp of surprise. The kiss was anything but gentle – it was a clash of lips and tongues, fraught with desire. Strangely enough, she tasted of salvation and freedom. He guided her down on the mat with him, his fingers found their way into her blouse and worked on the fastenings of her bra until they were free to trace the soft underside of her breast.

Kyouko was quick to reciprocate as her hands made quick work of his clothes, blindly pushing fabric out of the way until she found skin and raked her short-trimmed nails down his torso. He groaned into the kiss, delving deeper into her mouth, his crotch tightening at the exquisite feel of her tongue against his.

_Too fast_. They were spiraling out of control. Gods, he wanted nothing more than to gorge himself on her. Inside her.

The thought sent alarm bells ringing in his head. With great reluctance, he relinquished her lips and trailed kisses down her throat. He pulled back from the silken temptation of her skin and braced his arms against the mat, caging her in as he panted harshly against her collarbone.

"Kuon, please-"

Whatever she intended to say was interrupted by the polite knock on the shoji frame - the sound seemed unnaturally loud in the small room. They both froze, their panicked gaze riveted to the sliding door.

"Mogami-san, I've brought yukata and haori for you and your guest."

After a heartbeat or two, he breathed deeply and rolled away from her. He lay on his back, eyes trained on the unfamiliar ceiling as Kyouko fixed her clothes. He was careful not to look at her disheveled state, lest he gave in to the urge to grab her and continue where they left off.

It was only after he heard the inner shoji snap closed, effectively hiding him from sight, did he allow himself to relax. He could hear Kyouko apologizing for her tardiness, followed by her exclamation of delight over the yukata. He really ought to get up and show himself, even if only to remind everyone here that Kyouko is with him now and not with the prodigal Fuwa heir. Sitting up with a sigh, he raked a hand through his hair and glanced up just as Kyouko re-entered the room.

"Want to try the yukata to see if it fits?" she asked timidly, placing the wicker basket on the tatami as she knelt beside him. "Akemi-san said it's from the new stock they ordered, since they've had a lot of western guests visiting last month."

Taking his clothes off - with Kyouko sitting in the same room - was not only a very bad idea, it was also very dangerous. With her lips slightly tender from his kisses and her cheeks flushed from their earlier activity, he was almost at his limit. His sanity - not to mention her virtue - was at stake here.

"Maybe later," he suggested with a warm smile that belied his desperation. "The weather seems really nice outside. I was thinking we could go for a short walk along the lake."

"Oh. Okay." She sounded a bit disappointed, which left him wondering if he somehow read her wrong.

"Or, if you like...," Kuon stood up and pulled her up to her feet, "... we could go visit that place where we first met."

"Yes -" her smile was positively brilliant, it rivaled the sun shining outside their window "- I'd like that a lot."

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

"You alright?"

Haruki had one hand against the wall, trying to get her bearings, as she squinted at her feet. "I will be, once the damn floor stops tilting."

"It's not." Shouko smirked at her friend as she adjusted the haori over her yukata. "You're the one whose hasn't been able to walk in a straight line since we left the hot springs."

"I'm not drunk! Besides, we only had two _tokkuri_ of sake."

Shouko started to tease Haruki about her low tolerance for alcohol, when she caught sight of a very familiar mop of reddish-blonde hair. "If you're not drunk, then maybe I am. Either that or I just saw Kyouko-chan holding hands with some blond foreigner."

"Where?"

"There!"

Haruki squinted her eyes. "They're too far! I really can't tell without my glasses."

"Oh, never mind-"

"Well, there's only one way to find out-" Haruki broke into a brisk walk (the fastest she could manage while wearing a yukata), dragging Shouko along with her. Taking a deep breath, she called out to the girl across the courtyard, "Kyouko-chaaan!"

Shouko was flabbergasted at her friend's drunken antics. However, unlike her friend, she had no problem reading the surprise in the young woman's amber eyes the moment they were close enough for her to recognize them.

"Asami-san! Aki-san!"

The three women stared at each other and finally voiced out in unison the singluar question that was running through their minds: "What are you doing here?"

They all paused for a breath, each giving the other group curious looks while waiting for the other person to start.

"Well, if you _really_ must know, I'm here on vacation with my girlfriend." That got everyone's attention. "Hizuri Kuon." He smiled in response to the startled look from the two women. Placing a hand on Kyouko's waist, he bowed slightly in casual acknowledgement. "Dozo yoroshiku, onegai shimasu."

Kyouko formally introduced the two women, but not without a fair amount of apprehension over Kuon's reckless self-introduction. It was during such moments that she was reminded just how different Kuon could be from 'Tsuruga Ren'.

"Actually, we were just about to have an early dinner at the dining balcony area overlooking the lake." Asami turned to the younger woman and charmingly asked, "Would you two like to join us, Kyouko-chan?"

Call it a woman's sixth sense, but Shouko could immediately tell that Haruki was not overly fond of Kyouko's significant other. "Haruki, I don't think we should impose on their time," Shouko muttered under her breath, furtively tugging at her friend's sleeve.

"Oh, you're not imposing at all," Kyouko replied, waving away their concerns. "We just came back from our walk and happened to be talking about where we want to have dinner."

"I don't mind eating here tonight," he concurred amiably. "I heard that the best view of the sunset is from the ryokan's dining area."

"Well, I guess that means the four of us will be dining tonight," Shouko concluded, trying to ignore her uneasiness at the prospect of dinner as she motioned to the stairs, "Shall we go?"

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

Dinner, as it turned out, was surprisingly uneventful compared to his earlier meeting with his mother.

His relationship with Kyouko, or rather lack thereof, did not come up in conversation again. Either his mother took pity on him or she already wrote him off as a hopeless case. Maybe she thought a broken heart would teach him a thing or two.

_"Have you ever considered that maybe she'd be happier with someone else?"_

Never.

And that was the problem, wasn't it? He always assumed that he knew her best. But knowing a person did not necessarily mean you could make them happy. And he was just too arrogant to think otherwise.

"Admit it. You're just saying that out of some unfounded loyalty to Shou."

"Oh, c'mon! And here I thought you'd be more supportive of him, being his manager and all that."

He immediately stopped in his tracks when he heard the familiar voices mention his name. Looking up, he realized that he was walking right under Shouko-san and Haruki's balcony. He hated eavesdroppers - but he hated the fact that he was now one, simply because he refused to walk away. They were talking about him after all!

"I would support him, if it were anyone else - but this is Kyouko-chan we're talking about, here!"

"Well, it took Shou quite a while to realize his own feelings. You can't say he's not doing his best to win her back."

"Forgiveness is one thing, but it would be doubly hard for her to trust him again..."

"It couldn't have really been _that_ bad... right?"

Shouko sighed tiredly, "Haruki-chan, you weren't there when he broke her heart."

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

Kyouko shivered as she washed away the last traces of shampoo and soap from her body. After flicking the excess water from her hair, she reached for her towel and wrapped it around her. She returned the wooden bucket to the pile sitting on the nearby bench and gingerly made her way out of the bathing area, careful not to slip on the damp floor.

It was already past midnight, but the pathway lights to the open air-baths were still on. A sign was put on, saying the _roten-buro_ would be closed for cleaning. Kyouko simply walked past, knowing full well they wouldn't start cleaning the pool until five in the morning. A cold autumn breeze rustled through the trees, dissipating the steam hovering over the hot springs.

She took off her towel, folding it into a neat bundle as she waded deeper into the water, following the rocky outcroppings. A sitting ledge was carved and smoothed out from one side of the huge rock in the middle of the pool. She sat herself down and placed her towel on the nearest dry flat surface just within reach.

"Ah! This feels so good!" She sighed in pleasure, leaning her head against the rock to stare at the canopy of red maple leaves above her.

It did not take long for her body to acclimate itself to the scalding heat. The liquid warmth that enveloped her did wonders to soothe her tired muscles. She tried to remind herself not to stay longer than necessary. Kuon was still sleeping soundly when she left him back in the room; she didn't want him waking up to find her gone and start worrying. But the relaxing lure of the hot springs was too delicious to pass up, the steam rising around her and rhythmic rippling of the water soon lulled her to a light doze.

"Kyouko?"

Her eyes snapped open to see a dark shadow looming over her. She opened her mouth to scream, but it only ended up as a muffled shriek against the hand that suddenly clamped over her mouth.

"Holy shit... It really is you." Shou slowly lowered his hand but made no move to step back, shaking his head in disbelief. "And here I thought you were nothing more than a drunken hallucination."

And he had been drinking - a lot. He was close enough for her to smell it on his breath - close enough to suddenly make her realize that they were both stark naked in the water.

"Gah! Get away from me!" She scrambled to move away from him, one hand covering her breasts while the other frantically feeling for the towel that was supposed to be on the rock beside her.

"Looking for this?" He brought out her towel, waving it like a banner, before placing it on a ledge way above her reach. "You'll get it back... after you've answered a few questions."

"I'm not in the mood to play along with your games, Shou."

"Believe me, neither am I," he sneered back, effectively caging her by bracing his hands on either side of her against the boulder. "What are you doing in Kyoto? I heard you even brought a 'friend' with you."

"I came to visit your mother, like I've always done for the past two years. This year I wanted her to meet a dear 'friend' of mine - got any problems with that?"

His eyes narrowed sharply as his hand reached out to trace the delicate line of her collarbone, his thumb rubbing against the rose-colored bruise on the upper swell of her left breast. "Tell me, Kyouko. How far had you gone with him?"

She smacked away his hand, her face livid with anger. "That's really none of-"

He hit the water with his open hand, the sharp sound cutting her off, causing her recoil from his outrage. "And don't you dare tell me that it's NOT. MY. FUCKING. BUSINESS!" he bit off each word, his voice low and menacing. "Did he touch you? Did you touch him back? Is he good in bed? Did he make you cum?"

He knew he had pushed her too far the moment she swung back her arm. He didn't even bother to dodge her fist as it hit him squarely on the cheek. Her punch rattled his teeth and jarred him back to his senses. He heard her gasp and looked up to find her cradling her hand and flexing her fingers to alleviate the pain.

"Thanks," he said, gingerly touching his sore jaw. "I needed that."

"You deserved it," she hissed, rubbing her injured knuckles, "asshole."

"I know," he calmly conceded, trying very hard not to stare at her beautiful breasts just under the water. "But you still haven't answered my question."

Kyouko sighed and wrapped her arms protectively around herself. "He didn't do anything to me that I did not want him to do."

He nodded stiffly. "Good enough."

Shou reached up to retrieve her towel. When she held out her hand for it, he simply shook his head and draped the towel against her back, using it to draw her closer to him.

"Lift your arms a bit, otherwise I won't be able to wrap it around you."

She quietly complied, her eyes trained on the red maple leaves floating on the water. He willed his fingers to stop trembling as he tucked the edges of her towel over her chest. Without warning, he leaned down to capture her lips and kissed her with all the longing he felt in his soul. He pried her lips apart with his tongue to taste her softness, and she let him. But she never kissed him back.

Slowly, she pulled away from his lips and turned her shimmering amber eyes up at him. "Shou, what is it that you want from me?"

"I want you to love me again."

* * *

I wanted to explore the ramifications of Shou taking Kyouko with him to Tokyo from a different perspective - one that has not yet been fully explored in the fandom - and this is what I came up with. I had to browse a lot of ryokan websites for research and am now fairly convinced that I should plan for an Autumn trip to Japan next year to experience it myself. Hopefully, my Japanese should be good enough by then. Along with everything else that happened in this chapter... I think we're still fairly safe with the 'T' rating, right? ;p Again thanks for reading!


	11. Chapter 11

Skip Beat! is by Nakamura Yoshiki

Shou has yet to even make a cameo appearance in the latest story-arc - which is moving as slow as molasses *sigh*. Some people may miss him like they would a hole in the head, but I really miss the 'Kyouko' who he's capable of bringing out only when he's around.

* * *

"Why do I have a feeling that I've seen him somewhere before?"

"Seen who?" Haruki asked, watching Shouko flip through her fifth magazine since they sat down at the lounge for an afternoon coffee break.

Shouko dumped the magazine in a box under the table and reached for her sixth. "Kyouko's boyfriend."

"Don't you have better things to do? Like plan Shou's schedule for next week."

"Already done," her friend replied flippantly. "He'll be doing the usual rounds to promote his new single that's coming out two weeks from now."

"Same as last year, I suppose." Haruki sipped her coffee before commenting, "He's never failed to come out with a single during Christmas for the past three years."

"And why do you suppose is that?"

The question sounded like rhetoric, so she simply shrugged shoulders and never bothered with an answer. She reached for the magazine that Shouko threw in her ever-growing pile and absently skimmed through the glossy pages. Her gaze fell on a picture of Kyouko - it was taken from the awards night held during the early part of the year. She attended the same event and remembered taking potshots at Shou for not being on Kyouko's 'Thank You' list when the actress accepted her award on stage.

Shou has shown remarkable growth, both as an artist and as a person, in the past year alone. The egotistic brat who joined them three years ago was now one of the biggest names in Japan's music scene. Surprisingly, they mostly had Kyouko to thank for that - the young actress had, albeit unknowingly, been Shou's inspiration. The young woman also had an uncanny ability of keeping Shou's ego in check and his feet planted firmly on the ground, despite his inflated head.

She flipped the page and came across another photo of Kyouko, this one had Tsuruga Ren standing beside her, both of them holding up their awards and smiling for the camera.

"Aha - found it!" Shouko declared triumphantly, waving a magazine in the air as she shut the desk drawer closed with a hard snap. "I knew that guy was keeping this in his not-so-secret hiding place!"

"Found what?" she asked, feeling like she was obliged to do so.

"This!" Shouko plunked the magazine on top of what she was reading and pointed at the picture. "It's him, I tell you! That's him, right there!"

It was a photo spread of Kyouko in a rose-colored ball gown, being seduced by a blond stranger on a sweeping marble staircase. Shouko's perfectly manicured nail was starting to dent the man's back with her tapping.

Haruki's eyes narrowed at the blond male model and shifted suspiciously back to the picture of the dark-haired actor. "You're right, it IS him!" her eyes widened in recognition as everything clicked into place, "They're BOTH him!"

"I told you- eh?" Shoko stuttered to a stop and looked at her as if she'd grown a second head. "Say that again?"

"The hair's all wrong, and you can barely even see his eyes in this one-" Haruki arranged the pictures side by side and pointed out the clues "-but here, see? You can't possibly go wrong with that jawline, those cheekbones and that nose!"

Shoko placed a hand over her mouth as she goggled at the striking resemblance. "Tsuruga-san's acting is at a completely different level that it's almost scary."

"You gotta hand it to him though," Haruki snorted as she scrutinized the two sets of photos, "the man knows how to flaunt what he's got without getting caught."

"But why did he introduce 'Kuon Hizuri' as Kyouko's boyfriend? That would have only given rise to our suspicions."

"Who knows?" Haruki took off her glasses and and pinched the bridge of her nose before putting it back on. "Maybe that was his intention all along."

"Do you think we should tell Shou about this?"

Right after the question was posed, they both glanced towards the door-

Shouko breathed a sigh of relief. "You know, for a moment there, I fully expected him to appear and ask us what we were talking about."

"Yeah. Me too."

"Geez, it's 3:45 already?" Shouko grouched when she saw the time. She dumped the magazines in the box and swept up her files. "I better go - I have a meeting at 4 o' clock. Bye, Haruki."

She raised a hand and waved her friend out the door, "Later, Shouko."

Haruki finished her coffee and threw the styrofoam cup into the bin. Just as she was about to leave the room, she pushed her glasses up her nose and finally decided to call out to the unseen person who was lying on the lounge couch.

"Coast is clear. You can come out now, Shou."

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

Kurosaki Ushio breezed through the doors of Akatoki Records one cold December afternoon in search of Asami Haruki. He had on his best white suit, which would have made any self-respecting Yakuza boss proud, and even managed to slick back his wild hair courtesy of half a tube of super-strong-hold styling gel. He was lucky to have spotted Shou near the elevators when he reached her floor and had the young man escort him to Haruki's office.

He gave a perfunctory knock on the door, turned the knob and stepped into the room to find her typing away at her keyboard.

"Konnichiwa, Haruki-chan. I brought you flowers," he declared, whipping out a small bouquet of half-dozen white roses and presented it to her with flourish. "And chocolate cake!" he added triumphantly, placing a pink box down on her immaculate desk.

Shou half-expected his producer to bite the director's head off. Instead, she simply surveyed them over the top of her glasses and asked, "That's a pretty impressive bribe. What do you want, Ushio-kun?"

"I need a date," he answered, suddenly sounding all business-like as he threw down the gold and blue invite on top of her table. "It's two weeks from now. And it's a black tie affair - you know, one of those shindigs where a gorgeous woman is a definite must-have on a man's arm."

"Sensei, do us all a favor and don't get yourself killed," Shou warned the director as he waved at Asami-san and turned to let himself out of the room, "I'm outta here."

Haruki's bored gaze skimmed along the lines of the invite until she reached the middle. Her eyes nearly falling out of her head as she turned to Ushio and squealed, "Kyouko's birthday is on the 25th?"

"Oh, didn't you know?" Ushio returned smugly. "Her boyfriend's throwing a party for her."

The door was thrown open with such force that it slammed against the wall. Shou crossed the distance from the doorway to the desk in three quick strides and deftly snatched the invite from Asami-san's slack fingers. The two remained quiet, waiting for the younger man to finish scrutinizing the invitation and break the tense silence - suffice to say, Shou did not disappoint.

"Ano... Sensei. It says here: To Kurosaki-san and _friend._"Shou turned to the director and valiantly tried to keep his voice even, "I'm your friend, right?"

"But whatever happened to the gorgeous woman who was supposed to be my date?" Kurosaki lamented.

"Ushio..." Haruki said his name in warning, throwing the man a look that could have melted titanium.

"Just give me a wig, an evening dress and pair of fake boobs - with the right make-up I could just be as pretty as Asami-san."

"Shou!" Asami-san fairly growled, banging her hand on the table, "Don't even THINK we'd allow you to go through with that ridiculous nonsense!"

The look of horror that crossed dear Haruki's face was of such comedic proportions that he could not help but add fuel to the fire. He plucked the invitation from the rock star's hand and tapped it against his own nose, "Just how far are you willing to go through with this, Shou."

"For her - I'd do anything."

The tone of their conversation suddenly shifted, all kidding and verbal horseplay aside. Kurosaki suddenly stood up, towering over the younger man as he glared down from his superior height. He snorted and moved behind Asami-san's desk to pull back the curtains and crack open a window. He lit the cigarette clenched between his teeth and took a deep long drag.

"Anything?" he asked in all seriousness, before exhaling a smoky stream into the freezing air.

Shou firmly replied, "Anything."

"I'm impressed." His smile was toothy as a shark's and just as reassuring. Shou barely managed to catch the invitation when Kurosaki suddenly flicked it at his chest. "Here, you go, kid. Send Kyouko our regards. Have fun."

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

He woke up to the feel of soft curves nestled against his body and the sight of a slim white neck gracefully tapering to naked shoulders. His free arm tightened around her waist, his hand splayed over the smooth skin of her stomach while his fingers lazily traced the curve of her hip. She shifted slightly, causing him to groan in his throat at the exquisite feel of her thighs and legs tangling with his under the covers. The arm she used for a pillow was numb, but he was far from complaining; it was a negligible discomfort compared to all the delicious sensations he was experiencing.

Despite the contentment humming through his body, his mind returned to the events that transpired in Kyoto that led to their newfound intimacy.

_He was woken up by the sound of the shoji screen being slid open and snapped closed. Turning on his side, he was shocked to find Kyouko hunched over him in the dark, shivering in her damp yukata that was barely hanging onto her slim form. He opened his mouth to ask what happened, but the words died in his throat when she hungrily pressed her mouth to his. He could have stopped it then - common sense dictated that he should - but he didn't. There was simply no stopping - not after he tasted her tongue in his mouth and felt her fingers reach down and tug at the knot of his yukata. Her face flushed as she leaned over and softly whispered her need against his ear. _

_A few hours later, the cold morning sunlight found them tangled in his futon, replete from their lovemaking. It was only then, when she finally found courage, did she tell him everything. He listened to her story while stroking her back - long languid sweeps of his hand, from the base of her neck down to the small of her back. It seemed to calm her and it made the experience bearable for him, hearing her talk about another man. _

_She started to apologize then, but he simply kissed her to stop the litany of apologies that were falling from her mouth. Her honesty humbled him and he felt utterly blessed that she decided to choose him, after all._

"I love you," he whispered to the woman sleeping in his arms. He brought her right hand to his lips, placing a light kiss on her fourth finger. He was eagerly counting down the days before he could make her officially his.

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

Winter came to Tokyo early this year.

He could feel it in the icy bite of the wind that rushed past his body as he sped through the busy streets of Shinjuku. It was a dry kind of cold, brought in by winds coming from the sea. Overhead, the sun was hiding behind a banner of steel-gray sky, mirroring his turbulent emotions. They'd been back in Tokyo for almost a month now, but his last argument with his mother still continued to play in his mind.

_"Why didn't you tell me that Kyouko was here?" he demanded indignantly. _

_His mother merely raised an eyebrow. "And since when did I have to inform you of everything that goes in my ryokan?"_

_"You think I don't deserve her, after all, do you?"_

_"It was never a question of you being worthy of her," his mother said, "It's a question of Kyouko loving you back, despite everything."_

_"And you think she won't?"_

_"I think you better ask yourself first if you have what it takes to make her happy."_

Five years ago, he would have confidently answered 'yes'. Two years ago, after he rescued her from that Vie Ghoul fiend and she was not yet aware of Tsuruga's feelings, it would have been possible still. But last month, after having her walk out on him after his confession, he wasn't so sure anymore.

He slowed down and parked his motorcycle in front of a building that housed the widest range of world-famous jewelry brands. He made his way to the shop that he had been visiting for the past two years. The attendant bowed in greeting and graciously led him to one of the private rooms where he was presented a catalogue of bracelet and necklace charms. Half-way through the catalogue, he finally found what he was looking for.

"This one," he said, pointing at the heart-shaped ruby charm set in white gold, "Would it be ready before the 24th?"

"Certainly, Monsieur. We would have it available as per your request." The shop manager smiled patronizingly. "Feel free to drop by anytime within the day to collect it by then."

'I'm not sure if I have what it takes to make her happy,' he thought to himself, staring at his latest addition to the charm bracelet she had yet to accept, 'But I'll do everything to have her smile for me again.'

* * *

Hokey. This is the part where I do my shameless plug for people who had been following this story to read Charm ch1. 皆さん、読んでください m(_ _)m

Longing is one chapter away from the ending but my conscience is demanding an Epilogue chapter to tie up any loose ends. Yes, closure is VERY important, if not for the borrowed characters, then for yourself as a writer. Here's to hoping I get to finish everything before the year is through. Thanks again for reading.


	12. Chapter 12

Skip Beat! is by Nakamura Yoshiki

* * *

"Welcome to Tokyo Park Hyatt. How may I help you?"

"Would you happen to know on which floor this party is being held?" he asked, handing over his invite to the pretty receptionist as he nervously smoothed down his new silk tie.

"The Drawing Room - that would be on the 39th floor, two floors down," she advised, handing back the invite before she continued on with her directions, "You may choose to take the elevators or the spiral staircase."

"I'll take the stairs." He inclined his head briefly and smiled in return, "Thanks."

"You're welcome, sir."

The stairs landed him right in front of the cloakroom. The two attendants were more then happy to check-in his coat and direct him towards the correct hallway. Getting in was a breeze; they only needed him to show the invitation to tick-off Kurosaki's name on their list before ushering him in.

The party was already in full swing. Couples were dancing to a song being played by the band; the rest of the crowd could be found chatting in small groups, bordering the dancefloor. He purposely arrived an hour late to avoid dinner and the chance of being discovered at such close proximity.

"Is that you, Fuwa-san?"

He immediately stiffened at the mere mention of his name. His eyes darted around, quickly checking to see if anyone else managed to overhear, before turning to face the young director.

"Ogata-san, it's uh- nice to see you again." He greeted, extending his hand which the young director clasped in a hearty handshake.

"It's been almost two years. My set was never as lively as when you were dropping by to see Mogami-san," Ogata-san replied, his gentle smile did not falter even an inch. "Time sure does fly, doesn't it?"

Shou snatched a flute of champagne from a passing waiter and drank deeply to calm his nerves, "Ye-yeah, it does."

"So, how is Haruki-chan?"

"Actually, she was supposed to come here as Kurosaki-sensei's date for the evening," Shou admitted guiltily, "But he decided to give me the ticket instead. So I could see Kyouko."

"I suspected as much," Ogata-san said, taking out his phone and showed Shou the latest message in his inbox, "I received a message from Haruki-chan an hour ago, telling me to keep a look out for you. She never told me anything about the hair though."

"Oh, this-" Shou pointed at his hair, which was dyed black for the occasion, "-this was a last minute decision."

"It's a good disguise, I almost didn't recognize you."

"Thanks," he absently replied, his eyes searching the crowd for the birthday girl, "By the way, have you seen Kyouko?"

"Last I saw her, she was talking with her best friend, Kotonami-san." The director glanced about and gestured at the refreshments table, "That's her, the one in the red evening gown. Ah, she's looking in our direction-"

Shou recognized her as the other girl in the Kyurara commercial, Haruki's original pick for his Prisoner PV. He barely had any interaction with the dark haired girl, but she and Kyouko appeared in a lot of event photos together. The only time he tried talking to her was in some celebrity game show where they guested together. Kotonami Kanae merely gave him a blank stare and eventually ignored him for the entirety of the show.

It was the complete opposite this time - her eyes were trained on him like a laser sight, he figured if she had a rifle, he'd be bleeding on the marble floor with a hole in his head.

"Kotonami-san," Director Ogata started the introductions the moment the young woman reached them, "I would like to introduce a friend of mine, this is-"

"I know _exactly _who he is, Ogata-sensei," Kanae cut the director off smoothly with a smile to soften her abruptness, her voice was like silk as she extended her hand, "Would you care to dance, Fuwa-san?"

She had him cornered and she knew it. He had no choice but to take her proffered hand, "It would be my pleasure, Kotonami-san."

It did not take long for her to tear into him. She had her claws unsheathed the moment they were out of Ogata-san's earshot. "You've got some nerve, showing your face here."

"Look, I have no idea what I did to offend you," he said, careful to keep his veneer of civility from cracking. "I just need to talk to Kyouko."

"She told me about you three years ago. Don't worry, I couldn't care less about you or what you did to her back then." Her smile was a threat, her voice grew flinty with each word she spoke, "But I don't like this confusing shit you're putting her through now just because you're a sore loser."

"The hell are you talking about?" he spat back, all niceties aside.

"You threw her away. She moves on with her life, you chase her down. When she finally decides to give love a chance, you confess to her and expect her to love you back." He almost stumbled, surprised that Kyouko would confide to her about what happened in Kyoto. Kotonami merely gave a disparaging snort as they continued to glide along the dance floor, "Fuwa-san, your mere existence offends me because you are unforgivably selfish when it comes to Kyouko."

Shou just about had it with being a verbal punching bag. He released her hand and inclined his head in a curt bow, "It was nice dancing with you, Kotonami-san." He turned and walked away, leaving her standing in the middle of the dance floor.

"Aren't you man enough to let her go, knowing that she could be happier with him?" she taunted, throwing the words against his back, "Fine then, leave! There's nothing left here for you anyway."

The words stopped him dead in his tracks. He whirled around and stalked back to her side.

"I love her! You might find that impossible to believe, but I do!" he gritted out, the surging tide of self-hate and frustration burst forth in a torrent of desperate angry words, "I know I've made mistakes, dammit! I'd gladly pay for them if I could - but she won't even give me that chance!"

Kanae stared at him, gauging his reaction for signs of carefully veiled machination but found none. "Fuwa-san, not everything comes with second chances."

Just then, they noticed that the band had completely stopped playing halfway through the waltz. The lights were slowly dimmed down save for single chandelier up front where the people were staring to gather around the platform. He approached the congregation, forced to walk along the edge of crowd until he was close enough to see what exactly was happening.

Kyouko, he finally found her...

She looked about ready to cry, one hand covering her mouth and the other clenched over her heart. Tsuruga Ren was on his knee, holding out a ring.

_"I think you better ask yourself first if you have what it takes to make her happy."_

Shou could not bring himself to look away even as he felt his world collapse around him. He was too late. He knew it the moment he saw Kyouko nod her head and mouthed the word 'yes' in response. Tsuruga placed the ring on her finger and tenderly kissed her hand. Suddenly, in a rare display of self-indulgence, the actor picked her up clear off the floor and kissed her with such passion that left no doubt in everyone's mind that she was deeply cherished. It left him feeling cold, miserable, and utterly defeated amidst the warm hearty applause from the people who were witnessing the scene of love and joy.

Slowly, and with great care, he took out the rectangular case from the inner pocket of his suit and held it out for the dark-haired woman. "Please tell Kyouko 'Happy birthday' for me."

She stared at the jewelry box but made no move to take it, "Shouldn't you be giving that to her yourself? That is what you came here for, after all."

"It was," he laughed, a bitter, broken sound that grated even against his own nerves, "But I don't think I can offer my sincere congratulations on her engagement."

She finally took his gift, knowing that there was nothing else she can do to convince him otherwise. "Kyouko, she... she never meant to hurt you."

"I know that," he whispered, his chest tightened in pain at the sight of Kyouko's brilliant smile. That precious smile that he just lost. "You were right, Kotonami-san. There is nothing left for me here."

Shou left the ballroom and made his way to the main hall to collect his coat. He was waiting in front of the elevators, when he heard someone calling out his name. It took every ounce of self-control he had not to turn around, his eyes trained on the metal doors as they finally slid open to let him in.

"Shou!" Kyouko was running barefoot on the carpeted hallway, one hand holding up the train of her gown while the other clutched the charm bracelet in a fist, "Shoutarou!"

He looked away as the doors closed over the heart-wrenching expression on her face and pretended not to hear her pounding against the metal doors.

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

Time waits for no one, not even for the walking wounded.

After spending the rest of the holidays holed up in his flat, Shou finally decided to make his first life changing decision on the second day of the new year.

"Shouko-san, I'm thinking of changing apartments."

His manager spared him an odd look before handing him a pen and notepad from her desk. "List down your preferences. I'll drop it off at HR later. They'd be able to provide you a shortlist before the day ends."

"Thanks," Shou started to write only to be interrupted when his phone rang. He flipped it open, stared at the caller ID and promptly stabbed the keypad to cancel the call. A second passed and it rang again. He reached out, checked the number and cut the call before the third ring.

Shouko bit her lip as she watched him repeat the same process twice before voicing her concern, "Aren't you going to answer that?"

"No," was his clipped response.

She nodded in understanding and tried to steer the conversation to less volatile topics. "So, what made you change your mind about moving out?"

"That shoebox apartment is starting to get cramped. Besides, I've lived there for almost three years now," he said musingly, turning to her with a half-smile, "It's about time I moved on, don't you think?"

True enough, he managed to find a place he liked from the list he was provided. Shouko made an appointement for him to meet up with an agent. After two weeks of viewing flats all over central Tokyo, he finally decided on a 2LDK suite in an upscale high-rise condo in Shibuya. The place was fully furnished, spacious, and has a living room that boasted of a majestic view of Tokyo's skyline. He also noted, and not without a twinge of pain in his chest, that the kitchen was something Kyouko would definitely kill for. He did not even blink at the quoted one million yen deposit and signed-up for a two-year lease on that same day. After all the paperwork has been stamped and notarized, he figured that two weeks was more than enough time to get everything ready for the move.

He was wrong.

"I heard from Shouko that you got a new place. So, are you all packed and ready to move this Sunday?" Asami-san asked, taking a dainty bite of her strawberry torte.

It was a Wednesday. The three of them celebrated his latest album's completion over dinner and toasted to its success. Shouko thought it was a miracle that they managed to make it through the four-course meal down to desserts without triggering an emotional land mine.

Shou stirred a packet of sugar into his coffee and shook his head, "Not even close. I've been so busy this week that the most I was able to do was throw some random stuff into those boxes."

"What 'random stuff' are we talking about here, Shou?" his manager asked in a slightly wary tone.

"I have one box half filled with CDs, DVDs and score sheets. The other one is stuffed with my bedsheets and some jeans I couldn't fit in my luggage... I think the only things I finished packing were the awards and my guitars. The place is a complete and utter mess at the moment."

Asami-san shot her friend a wry look from behind her designer-framed glasses, "Figures."

"Well, I guess it can't be helped." Shouko shrugged as she poked at her cheesecake, "Looks like we have to help him out, Haruki."

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

They were at his doorstep at exactly nine o'clock on a Saturday morning. After a light breakfast and some fortifying coffee, they immediately got down to business. Armed with bubble-wrap, duct tape, scissors, and permanent markers they set about packing his stuff into neatly labeled boxes. They ordered pizza for lunch and continued packing well into the afternoon.

He was sitting on the floor, taping down the lid of the box containing his DVD collection, when his phone started ringing. He glanced behind him, surprised that it was not on the coffee table as he expected.

"Shouko-san, is my phone there, in the kitchen?"

"No, I don't think so - I don't see it here," she glanced about the counter, "You probably left it in your room."

"Shou! Phone call!" True enough, Asami-san called out from the bedroom where she was busy packing the rest of his clothes.

He stepped into the room to find her talking to the caller, his phone tucked against her ear. "Oh, he's here... I'll just hand over the call, Kyouko-chan."

Shou looked down at his phone that Asami-san was holding out to him.

"C'mon, it's about time you stopped moping around," Shouko-san appeared at the doorway, leaning against the doorjamb, "Talk to her."

He heaved a huge sigh, reached for the phone, and brought it to his ear.

"Hello," Shou sat down on the bed, nervously rubbing the back of his neck, "Sorry for not returning your calls. I was busy being a complete ass lately... But I'm fine now. I think."

The two women shared a look and discretely left the room, closing the door behind them.

"You think he'll be okay after this?" Haruki asked as she set down the box she was carrying on the kitchen table.

"He'll live," was Shouko's pragmatic reply before glancing at the contents of the box. "What do you have there?"

"Not sure. I found it at the back of the closet. There's still a lot of space, so I thought I'd just throw in some more of his knick-knacks before taping it close."

"What's this?" Shouko reached into the box and pulled out an old photograph, "Is that Kyouko-chan? And Shou! Wow, they look so young here!"

"Hey, look at this," Haruki took out a knitted muffler from the same box and gestured at the picture, "Isn't it the same one they're wearing in that picture?"

"Oh, yeah! It is!" Shouko turned over the picture and saw a date written at the back, "Hmm, looks like it was taken when they were juniors back in middle school."

Shou suddenly came out of the bedroom, throwing a duffle coat over the sweater he was wearing and tucking a woolen ivy cap over his head. "I need to go out for a moment," he said as he hurried over to the foyer to slip on his boots.

"Hey, Shou!" Asami-san called out as she threw something at him, "Take this with you."

He reflexively brought up his hand to catch whatever was thrown at him and blinked at the brightly colored muffler clutched in his hand. "W-where did you find this?" he asked, surprise evident in his voice as he wrapped the soft muffler around his neck and tucked it into his coat.

"In a box, somewhere at the back of your closet." Shouko replied as she stepped up to him and tucked the old photograph in his coat pocket, "Don't keep her waiting, Shou."

~o|0|o|0|o|0|o~

It only took him about ten minutes to reach her place. He parked his motorcycle and made his way inside the lobby to find her waiting at the lounge. She was too busy scowling at the gossip magazine on her lap to notice his arrival. He cleared his throat and had to steel himself at the sight of her amber eyes as they blinked at him.

"Oi, stop scowling," he muttered, poking her lightly between the eyebrows, "That unsightly frown might turn into a permanent one."

Instead of the usual heated comeback, her face broke into a lopsided smile, "Yeah, you're right. Who would want to marry a shrew?"

Shou looked away, a blush staining his cheekbones. _'If it was you, I wouldn't mind.'_

"Hey, is that what I think it is?" she reached up and tugged at his muffler, "I thought you didn't like it? Too 'flashy' you said, it would make you look like a clown, if I remembered correctly."

"All my other stuff were already packed. Besides, it's cold. It's a muffler - it's now serving its purpose by keeping my neck warm."

And speaking of mufflers, he just noticed that she didn't have one. What she had on instead was a white turtleneck sweater under a bright orange parka that clashed horribly with her hair. Her woolen plaid skirt, black tights, and knee-high boots looked sensible enough to keep her warm.

"Whatever you say," she stood up and dropped the magazine back on the table, "Let's go."

"Go where?" he asked, following her out of the building and into the cold February afternoon.

She held out her left hand, "Walk with me, Shou."

He looked down, surprised to see the sparkling charms on the platinum chain circling her wrist. He pulled off his right glove and noticed that she wasn't wearing any- "Here, wear this first," he said, handing over his glove.

She slipped it on without protest and seemed greatly amused by the floppy fit. He reached out to clasp her naked hand in his grasp, tucking their joined hands in his coat pocket for warmth. His heart leapt to his throat when her dainty fingers curled over his.

Kyouko led him down a small alley right next to her apartment building and out the street parallel to the one they just left behind. Across from them was a deserted playground, where the snow that have been shoveled off the road was dumped and left for kids to play with. A fat snowman that stood in the 'snowbox' was being kept company by a family of snow bunnies that lined the see-saw. She could not resist tweaking the whisker of the smallest bunny as they passed by.

"How have you been, Shou?" she asked as they cut through the playground, snow crunching under their booted feet.

He peered down at her, trying to gauge her mood and figure out what prompted the question.

"Okay, I guess," he shrugged and returned the query in favor of making small talk, "You?"

"I've been worried since the party." She stopped walking to cast him a chastising glance, "You never gave me a chance to say anything. You wouldn't even pick-up my calls!"

"Now, you know how I felt."

"This is entirely different, and you know it! Back then, you couldn't even care-"

"How would you know?" He quietly asked, cutting her off with his question, "You weren't there." He laughed tiredly, rubbing his hand across his eyes, "Kami, would it kill you to even consider that I actually cared? That I was half out my mind with worry when I came back to the apartment to find your things gone?"

She was unusually quiet, which Shou took as a sign to continue talking. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry - I truly am. I know it's three years too late, but this is the only time I could sincerely apologize and not have you throw it back at my face."

"I forgive you," she said, and he could only squeeze her hand in return.

Snow started to fall around them as they continued walking on the street that went up the hill. She led him to a small plateau overlooking the town below. It was a small viewing spot, complete with benches under a circular roofing that spanned the perimeter of the small park. The fountain in the middle had been turned off since the water was most likely to freeze due to the weather.

He spied a vendo machine and told her to stay put while he got them something hot to drink. She nodded and sat down on a wooden bench to wait for him. He came back with two cans of coffee and handed her one. She frowned when her hands closed around the tin can.

"The heater's broken I think, so it's kinda lukewarm," he explained, shaking his coffee before popping it open.

She did the same and took a tentative sip of her own drink. She made a face, but soldiered on and took a deep gulp. "Urgh. I think I'd rather have it cold if it was going taste like this."

He just finished taking a long draught off his own drink and had to laugh at her expression. She was right - lukewarm canned coffee tasted horrible. He got their half-finished cans and set them down on the ground beside the bench.

"I've dreamed of this, you know?"

"Really?" she sounded skeptical as she described the scene, "A snowy Friday afternoon, the two of us freezing on a wooden bench while drinking canned coffee." She pointed at the beautiful early winter sunset that was bleeding across the sky. "Good thing you have the view to makeup for it. Otherwise, it would have been a pretty depressing dream."

"No, nothing as specific as that," he said, his voice almost wistful as he gazed at the dying sun, "I dreamed of having you in my life again."

There was a long pause, as if she was carefully weighing his words and finding the best way to respond to such a momentuous declaration. "We could be friends, again." she suggested, smiling to cover the quiet desperation in her voice.

"Yeah, we could. And as a friend, you would expect me to attend your wedding." He turned to see the flash of pain in her amber eyes, but the words needed to be said. "Kyouko, I don't think I'm strong enough to stand there and watch you marry someone else." He reached down to retrieve his now-cold coffee and finished off the bitter drink, "Not yet. Give me time."

_'Give me time to get over you.'_

"I'm sorry, Shou...I'm sorry that I can't return your feelings."

Everything that happened in the last year have been building up to this. It only seemed fair that she got to break his heart this time around given that he broke hers first.

"I guess I never really had you to lose."

He was not prepared for her tears, he doubted that there would ever come a time that he will be.

In the span of a heartbeat she was enclosed in his arms, her sobs muted against his coat. He closed his eyes tightly, greedily taking in everything he can out of this moment: The scent of her hair, her cold ears, the warmth of her back and the feel of her slender frame nestled against him - these were all new; there was nothing in his memory to which he could compare with. He wondered how he was supposed to move on when she still held the broken pieces of his heart in her hands.

"Ne, Kyouko-chan," he whispered against her temple, "this is the part where you're supposed to tell me that everything's going to be alright."

She wrapped her arms around his waist, returning his embrace and solemnly whispered, "Everything's going to be alright, Shou-chan."

~o|0|o|- The End - |o|0|o~

* * *

And that is how you break someone's heart.

Epilogue coming up. Thanks for reading.


	13. Epilogue

Skip Beat! is by Nakamura Yoshiki

The lyrics to the song **Solanin **by Inio Asano, who also wrote the manga of the same name.

**Asian Kung Fu Generation's Goto Masafumi **added the music to this beautiful song (youtube link: /watch?v=1uo-gdsW6Mk).

* * *

思い違いは空のかなた

_Misconceptions beyond the sky._

さよならだけの人生か

_A life saying goodbye?_

ほんの少しの未来は見えたのに

_The small bit of the future that I saw _

さよならなんだ

_was saying goodbye to me  
_

The next few weeks proved to be quite hectic, with a new album in the works and a concert to prepare for in two months' time. They finally decided on the ten songs that would comprise the album, including the two bonus tracks which would be acoustic renditions of his earliest songs. It all sounded so good on paper, but after the remastering was done and the demo album was compiled, it was a completely different thing all-together.

"It's rather, I don't know..." Shouko tapped her fingers against her chin, looking for the right term. "I think they kind of feel a little out of place, somehow."

"That's not quite it." Asami turned to Shou and decided not to mince words, "The acoustic versions fell flat. Instead of being the highlight of the collection, they seem to weigh the album down."

He had to concede his producer's observation. The songs that comprised the album might, at first, seem like a rather holistic mix, but they all had a common underlying theme. The two acoustic tracks shared that same theme, but their arrangement were not quite up to par with his more recent songs.

"Well, we could always scrap them off the list," Shouko suggested, "or we pick something else to replace the two songs."

"Or we could add power to the piece by having string-orchestra accompaniment," Shou mused aloud, staring at a game soundtrack CD that someone left behind in the recording booth. He looked up to see the two women with matching Cheshire grins on their faces.

It took them a better part of two weeks to get the music arranged for a string orchestra, sign up a string section of the Tokyo City Philharmonic and book a place for the recording session.

Shouko and Haruki watched the amazing performance from behind the glass of the recording booth. Shou was once again at the top of his game - one could even say he was leagues better than he ever was. They could practically feel the world holding its breath with them as the last sustained chord faded to silence.

"Damn," Haruki muttered under her breath, "that was awesome. We're going to break records with this release."

Shouko asked with a smirk, "Double platimun, you think?"

"Triple," the recording director declared, sagely nodding his head.

"Okay, people! That's a wrap! You guys are awesome!" Haruki announced, garnering a round of rowdy applause and hoots from the talented bunch at the other side of the glass.

Shou made his way to the door of the booth amidst much back-slapping, handshakes and even hugs from the female members of the orchestra. His manager could tell that this was the happiest he had been since his bout of depression last Christmas. Maybe he really meant it when he said that it was time for him to move on.

昔 住んでた小さな部屋は

_The small room where I once lived _

今は他人が住んでんだ

_is now occupied by someone else. _

君に言われた ひどい言葉も

_The horrible things I told you, _

無駄な気がした毎日も

_the days that were wasted_

あの時こうしていれば あの日に戻れれば

_If I had taken that chance, if I am able to return to that day_

あの頃の僕にはもう 戻れないよ

_But I'll never be that same person again_

Shou passed by his old apartment once to collect any mail that had been sent to his old address during the week he moved. He coincidentally met the new tenant at the mailbox lockers at the ground floor. She was a small lady, about a foot shorter and around five years older. She had an electric guitar slung over her slight shoulders.

Later over coffee, as they sorted through the mountain of junk mail, he discovered a few things about his host. She never cared for Visual Kei but was an avid advocate of Indie Rock, which would explain why she never recognized him. And the Mustang she carried around had belonged to her dead boyfriend, who used to be in a band.

"I used to hate him for dying. We all did." She sighed and sipped her coffee. "What if I was more understanding? What if I was more appreciative? What if...?" She stopped and laughed - not a note of bitterness tinged her laughter, only sadness. "But playing out different 'what-if' scenarios in my head doesn't change anything. In the end, we just have to forgive ourselves for any shortcomings, both imagined and real. He's gone and nothing is going to change that - we just have to accept it and move on."

"So, how do you forget?" He ventured to ask, "How do you get over someone you love and move on?"

"What made you think that I have?"

Shou sputtered into his coffee, "But you just said-!"

"I know exactly what I just said," she shrugged unrepentantly as she tossed him a couple of tissues, "I'm just the kind of person who's good at giving advice but really bad at taking them."

寒い冬の冷えた缶コーヒーと

_Cold cans of coffee from freezing winters_

虹色の長いマフラーと

_That long rainbow colored scarf_

小走りで路地裏を抜けて

_As I wander down the back alley_

思い出してみる

_It all comes back to me_

Since he gave her their old photograph back in middle school, he reasoned that it was only fair that they take a new one for him to keep. It did not take long for the ink to dry.

For something that was taken with a phone camera, the quality was not half-bad. He picked up the picture from the printer tray and gingerly tucked it into his newly-bought frame, his eyes lingering on the faces that smiled back from behind the glass. Her orange parka did clash horribly with her hair and the muffler around his neck did look ridiculous. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying and her smile was tremulous at best. Even now, he still believed that she was at her loveliest back then.

_"I really can't take this," Kyouko said, fiddling with the clasp of the charm bracelet, "It's just too much for a birthday present!"_

_"Are worried about what __**he**__ would say?" he asked, his breath fogging up in the frigid air._

_"Well, __**I**__ wouldn't want __**him**__ to be giving expensive jewelry to other women as a birthday present," she explained, scrunching up her nose. "Except for his mother, of course."_

_He snorted and kicked his empty coffee can in annoyance. "Then tell him it's an early wedding present, and that he should consider himself lucky that I'm not going to be there to run away with his bride."_

Shou chuckled at the memory and how he managed to finally convince Kyouko to keep the bracelet. Once, he used to wonder whether there was a meaning to a failed love. He used to think it was something best forgotten, a memory that would fade in time and cease to exist as if never happened. But now, he knew better...

"Despite the heartbreak, I'm still glad I fell in love with you."

たとえばゆるい幸せがだらっと続いたとする

_Even if somehow, that fragile happiness had lasted_

きっと悪い種が芽を出して

_A bad seed would already have sprouted_

もう さよならなんだ

_So, I guess this is goodbye_

"Once upon a time... I thought that every fairy tale ended with a 'happily ever after'," he said, strumming a tune while he chatted up the crowd. "Guess I was wrong - or maybe it just wasn't my fairy tale to begin with."

Everyone laughed, his easy demeanor lulling them into a comfortable but expectant atmosphere. This was the first time that Fuwa Shou was going to perform an acoustic encore - and with an entire string orchestra. He definitely went all out with his first concert at Tokyo Dome, and it was not over yet...

"The woman I love got married today," he declared, causing a ripple of surprised gasps and exclamations to course through the crowd. "Not to me, unfortunately."

His words stunned the entire stadium into silence. The camera panned for a close up. The audience could only watch the screens with bated breath, mesmerized by the solemn expression on his handsome face, as he continued to speak.

"But to wish for one's own happiness is sometimes coupled with another's unhappiness." Shou searched the sea of faces, even though he knew that he would never find her there. "I've been selfish for far too long. This time, I would pray for her happiness instead."

And, amidst the tears, the crowd cheered him on as he plucked thru the opening chords of the song.

さよなら それもいいさ

_Goodbye, that's enough_

どこかで元気でやれよ

_You can make it anywhere_

僕もどーにかやるさ

_Goodbye, I'll manage somehow too_

そうするよ

_Goodbye, that's what I will do._

* * *

A/N: For everyone who managed this far, thanks for taking time to read the story. Hopefully, it was not a wasted click of the mouse. Shou was a joy to write, it was not exactly a huge surprise for me, since I've always been known to cheer for the anti-heroes.

To everyone who came to like Shou in this story - Thank you, for giving him a chance. m(_ _)m

To everyone who hated me for not having Shou end up with Kyouko - Well, I did say that this was going to end in _Charm_. Just because their names are in the character description does not necessarily mean that they would end up together. To be fair, I had to remind _myself_ about that during the time I was writing the rest of the chapters. (.&lgt)

To everyone who wants to see an alternate ending where Shou ends up with Kyouko - It can still happen! But I won't be the one writing it. Whoever is up to the challenge of writing an alternate ending to Longing, I shall fully support you! (^.^)v

To anyone who's wondering who the heck I'm going to write about next... I don't know either... (T_T)

Again, thanks for reading and kudos to anyone who can correctly name the new tenant who is renting Shou's old apartment.


End file.
